


Just Around the Spidey Bend

by diceysmiles



Category: Batman (Comics), Spider-Man (Comicverse), Spider-Man - All Media Types, Superman (Comics)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Background Relationships, Clones, Crossover, Dimension Travel, Friendship, Gen, Humor, Inappropriate Humor, Light Angst, Memory Alteration, Past Lives, Past Relationship(s), Randomness
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-05
Updated: 2021-01-28
Packaged: 2021-03-01 05:28:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 35,039
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23489866
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/diceysmiles/pseuds/diceysmiles
Summary: Peter Parker comes to inside a chrysalis. His last memory was of him dying. But he soon comes to the realization that he is far far from home. (No relation to Tom Holland Films whatsoever—just needed to throw that out there in case that was confusing.) His first priority, don't get caught. Second, find food and shelter. Third, well, the third priority on his list is to figure out why he is where he is and who sent him there. And the only thing he is certain of is that he won't finish that list of priorities in a timely manner. Will he ever find the answers he needs? And if he doesn't, will he ever get back to the woman he loves?
Comments: 35
Kudos: 178





	1. Oh look, chapter one

**Author's Note:**

> New story, don't know when the next update will post. I've written five or six chapters but they're not in chronological order. I'm placing my OC (Hailey Thomas) from my other story Starcrossed in this one but Spidey isn't set in her dimension. This is a different Batmanverse from hers. She just happens to exist in this one as well.

**_Wake up_ **

**_Wake up_ **

**_Peter, wake up!_ **

Peter’s eyelids flew open. He was feeling disoriented and mildly perturbed by the dream he’d just had. He actually felt floaty as if he were still dreaming. He shifted in bed before he realized that he wasn’t in a bed. He was in some sort of enclosure. It was filled with some weird gooey substance. And he was completely submerged in it. And he wasn’t breathing. That was important. Very important.

_Panic._ _Panic now._

Yup, he was feeling panicky. He immediately started to fight his way out because he needed to breathe. He kicked and punched but that wasn’t working. He was just squiggling around in the same spot. Peter paused to think. Placing the panic on the back burner so to speak. In sudden insight, he swam to the edge. Because there had to be an edge, right? He found it. And it felt so gross. Like the inside of a cheek. 

_Don’t think about it. Don’t think about it._

He grabbed at the wall. His fingers slipped. He tried again. He pinched it in his hands and began to pull it apart using all his strength. His lungs burned with the lack of oxygen because of the exertion. He felt like he would pass out but then the wall tore. And Peter was falling. 

He landed on the floor of a brightly lit lab. The jolt forced him to gasp. But his mouth was full of that gooey slime. He started to choke and cough until the substance was out of his mouth and throat and nose. 

_Ugh! Gross!_

He took a few deep breaths once he could and his body started to tremble. He was cold. So, so cold. And yet. He was covered head to toe in the goop. The gunk that had once been warm was now chilling to the bone in the open air. Peter began to wipe the goo away from his face, neck, his chest, his abdomen… 

_Hold on._

Peter looked down at himself and realized that he was stark naked under the weird pinkish film his body was covered in. 

_Why am I naked? And why do I smell like a lizard that crawled out of a sewer?_

He turned back to look at the enclosure he’d been in then he gaped. He’d been in some sort of chrysalis. 

_What is going on?_

Peter didn’t wait to figure anything out. Since there was no one in sight, he decided he should leave before whoever was holding him there found him and decided to give him another dip in the…

_Yucky icky sticky concoction._

**_Peter, you’re a scientist. Remember your molecular cell biology. The chrysalis is filled with rich fluid; i.e. a caterpillar digests itself, releasing enzymes to dissolve all of its tissues. But the contents of the pupa are not entirely an amorphous mess. Therefore, cutting open a cocoon or chrysalis before the species has time to fully form would result in botching the transformation and having caterpillar soup ooze out..._ **

_Shut up! I think I just threw up a little in my mouth. Not going to think about that. Not going to think about that._

Peter couldn’t help but wonder if what he’d just undergone was some form of a weird sacrifice or ritual that some Spider-freak/god/entity was trying to subject him to.  
  


_Why couldn’t I have been bitten by a radioactive raccoon? I could’ve woken up from hibernation inside a very dry and cozy den._

**_As if you wouldn’t’ve found that to be any less unusual, Peter._ **

_But still. Not as gross. And stop talking to me, you... you rational voice._

He shook his head and forced the lab door open. Luckily he still had his strength. He crawled up to the ceiling to stay hidden from view. He didn’t want to be found out before he made it out of the lab. Not that anyone would recognize him since he was still covered in the chrysalis goop. The stuff was thick and didn’t come off easily. He needed a towel or lots and lots of towels. Preferably a shower. 

Peter crawled on the ceiling of the hallway and peered into any room he happened across. They were all offices with nothing he could use. Then, he found a locker room just a few moments later and slipped inside. And even though he knew it was probably a bad idea, he took the time to use one of the showers. It had great water pressure.

**_The better to clean you with, Peter._ **

_Guh. I really hope there isn’t some creepy witch waiting in the wings._

**_Just don’t follow any bread crumbs or eat any candy, Peter!_ **

_Very funny. Figures that even my inner Jiminy Cricket has wisecracks. At least I no longer stink. I’m fresh as a daisy._

He pried open a few lockers once he was dry enough and found some scrubs that fit him. Unfortunately, the only shoes he found were a size too big. But after adding some webbing to the inside, they fit perfectly. He’d used his webbing automatically but now that he looked at his wrist, he didn’t have his web-shooters. He pressed his middle and ring finger into his palm and he saw the webbing shoot out of his wrist. He stared at his wrist in awe. His webbing was organic. His own body was producing it. And his wrist, both of them now that he checked, looked like they were scarred over. But upon closer inspection, the skin was broken where the webbing shot out.

_Interesting._ _But kind of gross, right?_

**_I would think you’d realize that the time you spent in the chrysalis had something to do with it._ **

_I didn’t realize and I don’t want to realize or think about it at all, thank you very much._

Though he didn’t have time to ponder on his newest ability. He had to keep moving. He needed to get out of the building. He decided that now that he was clean and dressed, he could risk walking like a normal person. He just needed to keep his head down so that his face wouldn’t be captured on camera. He hadn’t set off any alarms as of yet. And the building seemed empty so far. He made his way down the hall carefully and quietly.

_I wonder if this is how spies feel. But they’d probably be hugging the wall and looking anything but inconspicuous as they rolled or slid past any hallways. So then why did they do that?_

Peter shook his head. Why the heck was he thinking about spies? He found an office that came complete with a sleeping lab technician. The man didn’t even stir at his entrance. His head was leaning on his own chest while he snored and drooled in his sleep. From what Peter found on the computer, he realized that he was the main subject of whatever this experiment or observation was. According to the notes, the chrysalis had been brought into the lab three days prior. But as of yet, they hadn’t figured out what was inside of it. 

_What was I doing three days ago?_

**_Think, Peter. How did you end up in this situation?_ **

Peter’s memories were a little fuzzy. The last thing he remembered was being in the hospital. He’d been badly injured from a fight with a villain. He just couldn’t remember which one. It hadn’t been one from his rogue’s gallery that was for sure. But he distinctly remembered that he almost died. Or was dying? He remembered saying goodbye to Mary Jane. Then he’d… 

_No. It’s not possible. I couldn’t have died._

**_But you did. Remember, Peter. The man died but the spider survived. Or did the spider die and the man survive? Which one? It’s one or the other._ **

_No. No!_

The lab technician snorted a little louder than his previous snores but didn’t wake. Peter quickly started to erase anything they had on the mainframe about the chrysalis. And before he could even think about placing a rush order for a cleanup crew, the lab he was in beforehand was crawling with hundreds of spiders.

_They’re eating the chrysalis! And the chrysalis soup! Ew!_

**_Everything will be gone before anyone’s the wiser. Be grateful, Peter. They won’t leave any trace of your DNA. Perhaps, Anansi is keeping an eye on you._ **

_With my luck… she’ll also be waiting for me to keel over so she could eat me._

Peter shook his head. He pushed the scientist to the side and after some tinkering found the security footage for the lab he was in and deleted it all. Three days’ worth. Then he shut the cameras off. No need to keep the spiders on film either. That would set off questions and have whoever owned the lab draw conclusions to who was inside the chrysalis. He couldn’t have that. No siree. 

He’d been lucky so far. He grabbed a lab coat that had an ID card clipped to the lapel that just so happened to be hanging on the hook near the door. He felt keys in the front pocket. He looked at them and smiled when he saw a key fob. He just needed to get to the garage and find the lab technician’s car. Then he’d be home free. To Mary Jane.

**_Remember, Peter. You told her to be happy without you. To move on._ **

_MJ loves surprises! Like a ‘tada! I’m not dead!’ She’ll love that!_

**_Do you want to give her a heart attack, Peter?_ **

_Obviously not! But I’m not going to pretend to be dead. I have to talk to her._

**_Good idea, Peter._ **

_I’m full of those._

**_Just don’t jump out at her and she’ll be fine._ **

Peter shook his head. He didn’t want to listen to the voice in his head. Even though he was aware that it was his own voice. Everything would sort itself out when he got home. He would fix this, whatever it was that happened to him and apologize to Mary Jane for scaring the bejeezus out of her. 

He found a map next to the elevators he’d come across. The map showed that he was in some sort of sub-basement. The car garage was only two floors up. He entered the elevator and realized he needed a key card to activate it. He unclipped the ID card from the lab coat and held it against the access control reader. It worked and he was on his way topside. Or was it garage-side? 

_That doesn’t really slide off the tongue._

Once he was in the garage, Peter clicked the button on the key fob. The car didn’t beep but the headlights flickered. Peter made his way to the car and after he was situated inside of it, he drove out of the garage. 

_I’m not stealing. Just borrowing it. I won’t wreck it. And I’ll even leave plenty of change in the meter. If there even is a parking meter where I end up._

**_The car theft isn’t what you should be worried about. Look around, Peter._ **

Peter pulled over and got out of the car. As he looked around he couldn’t help but gape. He was in a city. It was dark. It was gloomy. It was illuminated by many lights from skyscrapers on a skyline he didn’t recognize. There were a few blimps in the smog-filled dark sky. But what took the cake was the Bat-signal that shone brightly in the clouds above the city.

**_Do you see it, Peter?_ **

_Yeah, I definitely see it, inner voice-me. We’re_ **_so_ ** _not in Kansas anymore._


	2. Oh look, chapter two

Being homeless in a city that Peter didn't know much about was unsettling. He quickly became acquainted with the Wayne Foundation, however. Peter was surprised that the man behind it all actually seemed to genuinely care about the citizens in Gotham. So much so that Peter was lucky that charities that were sponsored by Wayne Enterprises provided him with food and a place to sleep. Though in order to actually be able to be assigned a bed, he had to wait in line for hours and Peter didn't have the patience for that. Instead, he made a hammock out of his webbing and slept high above the alley between the soup kitchen and the shelter. The one thing he did take advantage of at the shelter was clothing and being able to shower. He even volunteered at the soup kitchen and shelter to do small things like repairs, cleaning, and carrying heavy items. It made him feel better to know that he was giving back to those who were helping him. He couldn't exactly get a place or a job without any ID and having to pretend he had amnesia. He couldn't very well tell anyone that he was from an alternate dimension.

A few months into the strange new world Peter found himself in, the shelter received a visitor who wanted to speak to Peter specifically. Peter hadn't wanted to draw any attention to himself but having helped the soup kitchen create a filtration system to give the homeless clean filtered water without having to depend on the bottled water delivery service that never brought enough drinking water for everyone, he supposed it wasn't much of a surprise. Especially when the visitor happened to be one of Bruce Wayne's adopted sons. He was young—seemed to be in high school—and was very personable. Even still, Peter couldn't help feeling like the young man could see right through his lies. And Peter had been lying since he was fifteen to his Aunt May of all people. He was practically a master at it. But this kid just sized him up and seemed too perceptive for Peter's liking.

"We have ways of finding a person's identity so it won't be a problem in getting you set up at Wayne—" young Wayne was saying but Peter lifted his hands up to stop him.

"I appreciate you coming down here and taking the time to speak with me, but I don't need more than what I've been receiving from these wonderful people. Uh," Peter rubbed the back of his neck. "And I suppose I owe your family a thanks, too. But there are others that are in more desperate need for a hand out. The job, housing, and medical care you were offering me would benefit them more. They've been homeless for years. If you help anyone, you should help them first." The look he received from the young Wayne was indescribable. "Now, if you'll excuse me," Peter told him in a serious tone that didn't leave room for argument before he turned to leave.

It was with a heavy heart that he hid away in the alley and scampered his way up the wall before anyone noticed. He knew that it had to have been the director of the soup kitchen who had called in that favor for him. But he really hadn't wanted to draw attention to himself. Going from homeless to having a job at Wayne Enterprises only a few months after disappearing from that lab was a sure-fire way to place a target on his back.

Peter still hadn't figured out how he wound up in that lab or who was keeping him there. Not to mention, how he ended up in an alternate dimension where anyone and everyone he knew didn't exist. Even the superhero community in this world was vastly different from his own. As far as he knew, Batman didn't exist in his reality. And there definitely wasn't a Gotham or Metropolis with an alien superhero called Superman. Though that did sound vaguely familiar. Like something he'd read about in a comic book when he was a kid but he wasn't all that certain. And now, he had to find a new place to live and a new way to find food. Going from one Martha Wayne Foundation Soup Kitchen to another would only invite the young Wayne to come back and try to recruit him again and that was something Peter definitely didn't want happening anytime soon.

Peter waited until after sundown before he made his way to Robinson's Park. He'd become familiar with the bustle of the park and had successfully stopped a few attempted mugging and assaults. Thanks to the bad lighting and plenty of shadows the trees provided he didn't need a mask. A few of the people he'd saved did try to get close to him to thank him. But Peter was always quick to tell them to call the police and then hid from view. No one had gotten a good look at him. But the papers had given him the moniker as the Robinson Park Rouge Avenger. He found that ironic given that he'd only recently been working in conjunction with the Avengers prior to his… death/rebirth/dimension hopping? Not that the Avengers existed in this reality. And given that he only stayed at the park until it was dark enough to even scare stray kittens from entering, he never had a run-in with the local heroes who typically came out after park curfew. By then Peter was usually helping clean up and set up the soup kitchen for the next day before he called it a night. But he'd have to find a new place to hang his webs.

Peter walked aimlessly until he reached the end of the boardwalk. He was overlooking the bay and at a distance, he could see a city in lights that reminded him of Atlantic City. There were so many similarities to this new world from where he came that it gave him a weird sense of belonging. He couldn't say he missed Jersey, ever. But he did miss Queens and swinging up between the skyscrapers and the hustle and bustle of the city. Not the smell. Though Gotham didn't smell any better. Smog. Stale bread. Gutter trash. Cigs and coffee. Not to mention the car fumes. And the whiff now and again of wet asphalt that really hit home. He looked back towards Gotham and he realized how close to home this place really was. But why did it always have to look so gloomy? New York was bright, especially at night. But Gotham…

The sound of an argument reached his ears. Peter turned to look in the direction it was coming from and he started running. A woman's voice carried above the voice of two men. But it was the child's whimper that made him whip out a web string and propel himself above the nearby tree line. He perched himself on a building overlooking a pier. A woman and her son were being forced onto the dock where a speedboat was waiting.

_This is like a bad plot point of a mob movie. The husband sends his wife and son to swim with the fish. But the son doesn't die. He comes back for revenge. And he takes out the entire familia and leaves his father for—_

The sound of flesh hitting flesh stopped Peter from his mind ramblings and sent him into motion.

"You tell that son of a bitch—!" the woman was saying.

"Hey, now, that's no way to talk in front of a minor," Peter interrupted her tirade. The woman was the one who'd struck the man. And since they didn't have guns on the pair, Peter didn't think they were actually trying to kill them. Probably just forcing them to leave Gotham. But that was just wishful thinking on his part. Especially when the two goons turned to face him and whipped out a pair of guns in his direction. "You really should put those away before someone gets hurt."

"Yeah, someone like you," said goon number one.

_Typical bad guy banter._

"That's—" goon two began to say in shock. "But he's supposed to be dea—!"

But the guy couldn't finish his sentence. He was kicked in the balls from behind by the woman. He let out a painful groan and dropped to the floor. While Peter and goon number one were distracted by letting out empathetic groans of their own, neither was prepared for the woman to kick goon number one in the balls as well. And he was also down.

"Hey, don't turn that evil weapon on me. I just came here to help," Peter said with his hands up in a sign of surrender.

The woman laughed and took hold of her son by the hand. She kicked goon number one in the gut and spit on him before she said a few choice words and walked over to Peter.

"Would you mind escorting us home?" she said in a softer tone.

"Uh, sure, just let me—" Peter said as he rushed over to the two men. He took their guns and tossed them into the bay then used their belts to tie them to a nearby light post. No need to use his webs and give himself away. "Okay. All set. But are you sure you need my help? Looks like you can take care of yourself."

The woman nodded. Her eyes, Peter noticed, were filled with unshed tears. The boy let go of his mother and ran to Peter taking his hand. But the boy, other than a whimper, hadn't said a word.

"Hey, it's okay. I'll stay with you," Peter told the boy and squeezed his hand. The boy's eyes flickered to him for a sec then back to face forward. "What's your name?"

The boy looked away but didn't answer other than pulling his arm to get him to start walking.

"He doesn't speak much," the woman said and wiped the few tears that were shed away.

"So, what happened back there?" Peter asked carefully as they made their way to a car that was still running with the back door open. No one was inside.

The woman made her way to the driver's side and gestured for him to climb in the back with her son.

"My ex-husband's old associates decided Gotham wasn't big enough for the both of us," she said as she began to drive away. She looked at Peter through the rearview mirror. "I'm glad you were there. Thanks for your help."

"Uh, I didn't even do anything. You did all the legwork," Peter said with a soft smile.

"You distracted them. It was enough," the woman said. "My name is Mila Peter."

Peter gaped at her.

"How do you know my name?"

She stared at him with an unreadable expression. Then she closed her eyes and sighed. She made a rolling stop at a red light as she made a left turn. Red and blue lights flashed behind them before the sirens were heard. She pulled over and waited for the officer. They waited for a beat before an officer sauntered over.

"Do you know why I pulled you over?" the officer said before he even got a look at the person behind the wheel. She waited until he was closer before she turned in the officer's direction. "Mrs. Cassamento—"

"It's Ms. Peter now, officer. I'm divorced," Mila said in annoyance.

_Oh, Peter is her last name. I'm such an idiot._

"Right," said the officer. "Well, then, Ms. Peter, you ran a red light. I'm going to have to ask for—"

"No, you're going to get back in your car and escort me to my home since I'm in the middle of running for not only my life but also my son's. We need a protection detail until further notice. Inform the commissioner forthwith."

The officer sighed heavily and went back to his car while rattling off a few things into his radio. The sirens were back on but now they were ahead of them. Mila followed the police cruiser easily.

"I am feeling a bit redundant at the moment."

Mila laughed. "Your presence is giving me strength."

"Uh, sure," Peter said, not feeling like her words had any merit. Sure, he'd distracted the two men. But she'd done everything herself. The woman was strong. She reminded him of his aunt May. He looked at the young boy beside him and squeezed his hand a little. He looked a little scared and was saying something under his breath that Peter didn't understand.

"Your name is Peter," the woman said and Peter nodded. He didn't think it was wise to deny it. "Do you have another name?"

"Uh," Peter said and rubbed the back of his neck. Yes, he had another name. His last name. But he didn't want to share that. What if there was another Peter Parker in this reality? Or what if the people who'd held him in the lab knew his real identity?

"You don't remember," she said carefully but it wasn't a question. "Where have you been? You look like a hobo."

"Well, I—"

The woman frowned and sighed.

"You work for me now," she said quickly, not letting him finish.

_Uh, what?_

"I—"

"You don't have a name. You don't have a home. And you don't have a memory. I will provide you everything you need. In the meantime, you will stay in my home and help me protect my son. I will not take no for an answer," she said firmly.

"Then I suppose the answer is yes," Peter said with a soft smile. This woman was in trouble. It wasn't the first time he stayed close to someone to protect them. It was just the first time he'd be doing it from inside their house instead of perched on a rooftop across the street.

Mila pulled into her driveway behind the police cruiser. "Aiden, wait for me in your room." The boy nodded. Mila looked at Peter. "Please stay by his side while I talk to the police."

Peter nodded and allowed the boy to direct him into the house. He looked back as Mila invited the officers inside. He couldn't help but think that even though it seemed he lucked out tonight that it was just the beginning of his Parker luck. It always seemed like things were going right before they went very very wrong. But no matter what happened next, he would protect this woman and her son with his life.


	3. Oh look, chapter three

Peter stayed with Aiden until he fell asleep before he made his way down the stairs. He'd heard the police leave but a patrol car was stationed outside. They were parked in the street in front of the house and weren't paying attention to their surroundings. If he could hazard a guess, he would say that they were listening to something on the radio. Maybe sports highlights or some talk radio. Whatever it was, Peter imagined it had to be entertaining for them since it kept them engrossed in whatever was being said. So they had no clue that Mila Peter received an impromptu visitor. Peter heard the front door open while Mila was in the kitchen. He hurried down trying to be quiet as a...mouse? Well, he was no Mickey unless Mickey had been bitten by a radioactive spider, too.

When he finally had a visual on the uninvited guest, he could tell by the physique that it was a woman. A woman wearing a mask with a crossbow affixed to her wrist. The very one she was pointing at him. She'd whirled around when Peter lightly landed in a crouch behind her.

_So much for being quiet. He wasn't as quiet a mouse. Unless this chick had bat ears._

"You have a thing for purple?" Peter said when he took in her outfit. Purple mask. Purple cape. Purple gloves. Purple utility belt. Purple boots. The white cross over a black tightly fitted blouse that accentuated her bust didn't go unnoticed either. Neither did the gun in the holster. The woman didn't answer nor did she let down her arm. She was his height. Tall. But not over imposing. "I got to hand it to you. You mesh the whole Batman chic with your love of Prince nicely."

"Huntress," Mila said with a heavy sigh as she stepped out of the kitchen. "Put that weapon down before you accidentally kill my nephew."

_Nephew? Is that what she was going with? I guess it's time to play the role of a long lost relative. Or I could be the twin that no one knew about. Oh, I've always wanted to be the evil twin to the nephew of the woman who had ties to the mob. Now that's a mouthful. Eat your heart out MJ!_

"I don't remember your nephew being so dexterous," Huntress said, lowering her weapon. She looked Peter up and down as if she was measuring him.

"Gesundheit," Peter said with a small smile not letting her intimidate him. She wasn't the first pretty woman who pointed a life-threatening object at him.

Huntress scoffed. "He's still annoying, though."

"Hey! I'm standing right here, Anita Blake," Peter said in annoyance. He hated it when people spoke about him when he was still in the room.

_Can't they wait until I turn a corner, at least? Sheesh!_

From the way Mila spoke to this huntress persona, he'd hazard a guess that she was friendly. Or friendly enough to Mila. So once again his use as a friendly neighborhood protector to all was rendered useless.

"And he doesn't remember me," Huntress said, ignoring the last gibe and turned to face Mila. "We need to talk." Huntress turned to look at Peter as if she expected him to take the hint to leave.

Peter stood his ground and crossed his arms over his chest. He may not be needed to protect Mila from Huntress but he didn't want to be kept in the dark. Not if he was going to protect Mila and Aiden from the mob in some near future.

"Come. Sit," Mila said to Huntress as she gestured to the kitchen table where a tea set was already waiting.

_It's as if she'd known the Huntress was going to pay a visit. She probably did._

The Huntress did as instructed and looked back to Peter who hadn't moved an inch before answering whether or not she wanted sugar or honey in her tea.

Peter was glad Mila hadn't asked him to give them privacy. It was so much easier to eavesdrop when you were in the same room as the people who you were trying to, well, eavesdrop.

Huntress began speaking as if she were debriefing a Mila. Peter wasn't sure what was going on. Was Mila an informant for this Huntress? And did Huntress work alone or was she one of the bat-gang? From what little information Peter had managed to gather from snippets of stories in the paper and what a few of the people in the shelter said there were only a couple of females that worked with/for Batman. Batgirl. And the Black Bat who wasn't even in Gotham. Batwoman wasn't really affiliated with him. Or that was what the Commissioner said to the press. Then again, he may have been covering his own ass. Or Batman's. Who even knew? Not Peter. But he'd never even known of the existence of this Huntress. And that annoyed him. How many more caped crusaders worked out of Gotham?

Peter felt the sensation of being watched. He made his way towards the window past the table. He felt Huntress following his movements with her eyes but ignored her. He looked out the window towards the direction he felt the sensation and barely caught a movement of a shadow. He narrowed his eyes and stared at the spot and allowed his focus to expand on the rest of the rooftop of the building across the street. But there was nothing else. And the sensation was gone. It could've been his imagination but Peter knew better. Huntress wasn't alone. She had back-up. He turned to look at her but Huntress was focused on Mila.

"Mila, is there something you're _not_ telling me?" Huntress asked with a tilt of her head.

_Dammit! When did I stop listening?_

Mila looked down at her tea and took a small measured breath. "No."

Huntress narrowed her eyes. Whether or not she suspected Mila was lying to her about something, she didn't bring it up. "If you ask me, whatever their planning and the move they made on you and your son involves your ex."

"Why do you think that?" Mila said, taking a sip of her tea. She didn't appear to be unnerved but Peter saw the slight tremble of her fingers before she gripped the handle.

"You still have a tight hold on all of your ex's assets. Your presence in Gotham is enough to discourage him from coming back when he's released. And if that's really your nephew right there, then it comes to stand that your ex will be released sooner than you think. They could have wanted you out of town to bring him back in since you refuse to play nice with them."

"No, you're wrong. If what they wanted was for me to be out, I'd be dead," Mila said and shook her head. She looked up towards her son's room and tightened her fists.

"Not unless your ex didn't give them permission to off you and his kid."

Peter didn't like her tone or what she was implying. But whatever the Huntress was doing at Mila's, it wasn't to keep her safe and secure. Peter decided he'd heard enough.

"Hey," Peter said walking forward and placing a hand on Mila's shoulder. "That's enough. She's already had a rough night. She doesn't need you to try to intimidate her, too. So if that's why you're here, see your way out."

"What I don't understand is why you came back?" Huntress said standing up and staring down Peter with anger that Peter hadn't seen in her before.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Peter told her. Mila reached up and squeezed his hand. Peter looked down at her with some confusion.

 _Oh, no. No. No. No. This is bad. I_ _ **am**_ _this woman's nephew from this dimension. But what does that mean? I have memories of an entirely different life. Unless the 'me' of this dimension died and I was transposed here from my own. Or somehow only my subconscious was transposed when I died in my original world? Does that mean Mary Jane and Aunt May really do believe I'm dead? This can't be happening. But it is. It's my Parker luck showing it's big ugly face once again. Of course._

"You don't know what I'm talking about?" Huntress said in disbelief. "You don't remember your uncle trying to kill you? Then the convoluted court case that followed. The only witness willing to come forward was killed. Luckily Batman had gotten the kill order on tape and the witness' recorded testimony was allowed in court. Now your uncle is sitting in Black Gate serving a twenty-five-year sentence for your murder and only your murder. Nevermind the countless crimes he's committed. Your murder was the only crime that the DA could convict him for and then you just waltz back into Gotham to give him a free ticket out of jail?! Why the hell did you come back?!"

Peter hadn't even noticed that Huntress was walking towards him until she was right in his face jabbing her finger in his chest. He stared at her in shock with his hands up in surrender.

"My—what? _Murder_?" Peter said, looking from Huntress to Mila. "I don't have any idea what you're talking about, Lady!"

Mila pulled Peter back and stood between him and Huntress. "Get out!"

Huntress stood there breathing hard. Mila stood her ground. Peter suddenly jumped in front of them both in a defensive stance when he noticed a dark figure in the doorway of the kitchen that was suddenly open.

"Huntress! We're leaving now!" Batman barked and turned around with a swish of his cape not even waiting for Huntress to follow. Huntress huffed but left without another word.

"So that was the Batman?" Peter said staring past the door into the dark in awe. Batman had a presence. Peter would definitely give him that.

"He knows better than to come here," Mila said and spit on the ground.

"What?" Peter said in confusion and turned to look at her. She'd allowed the Huntress to enter without question. Peter had assumed Mila worked with the vigilantes.

"It doesn't matter," Mila said, placing a hand on Peter's forearm. "It's late. We need to rest." With that, Mila retreated to her room.

Peter watched her go up the stairs then he turned towards the kitchen door to close it. He yelped and jumped back a step when he saw a dark shadow in his peripheral. He felt stupid that he'd reacted like that but he always hated when someone or something caught him off guard. Peter blamed his jumpiness on his dependence on his spider-sense. He needed to be more aware of his surroundings depending on his other senses instead of just his Spidey sense since it only warmed him when there was danger.

"Sorry. Didn't mean to scare you," said a youthful voice that came into the light. "I'm Robin."

"Uh," Peter grabbed the door and peered out behind Robin. "Are there any other vigilantes hiding in the shadows that I should know about?"

Robin chuckled and shook his head. "No. Just me," he said and shrugged. "Do you mind talking to me for a bit? I have a few questions."

"Uh, sure. But let's do it out here," Peter said, gesturing to the patio and closed the door behind him. He didn't want Mila to be disturbed any further. She'd had a hectic evening.

"So you're Mila Peter's nephew?" Robin said following Peter who sat at the edge of a flower bed ignoring the chairs a few steps away.

"Yeah, I guess," Peter said scratching the back of his head.

"You guess?" Robin said carefully. "What do you mean?"

"Huntress mentioned something about my... _murder_? She was a bit hot under the collar about it. What was she talking about? I don't remember anything," Peter told him pressing his palms into the edge of the bricks to hold himself in place. Not that he needed to. But it was good for pretense.

"You have amnesia," Robin said as he looked at Peter in interest. "Ah, I figured as much." He pulled something out of his utility belt and handed it to Peter. "That's your file. This just got a lot more complicated."

Peter looked at the small R shaped USB drive that Robin handed to him. " _Complicated_?" Peter looked up just to see that Robin had disappeared.

_Well, that's annoying._

Peter got up and went back inside. He found a computer in Mila's office and plugged in the USB drive. He looked through the contents and went through the police reports, court transcripts, photos, recordings, and a slew of other information. It took him a few hours to get through the entire drive. Mila had a nephew named Richard that had a very uncanny resemblance to Peter. After seeing the pictures, Peter was one hundred percent certain that he and Richard were not each other doppelgangers. Richard was not the Peter of this dimension. According to the dates and the similarities between them, it was fairly easy to confuse the one for the other. Peter scratched the back of his head and looked heavenward. He now understood why the Huntress had been so upset. Now they had nothing but the attempted murder to hold against Mila's ex-husband _if_ he was Richard. But if Peter proved—and he was going to have to prove—that he wasn't Richard, what would that do to Mila? From the transcripts Peter read, Mila was unequivocally convinced that her nephew was alive. Peter sighed. Complicated was an understatement.


	4. Oh look, chapter four

Mila had her attorney, Freddie Rios, at her house first thing the next morning. Peter wasn't sure what to think of that. He tried to tell Mila that he wasn't her nephew a few times, but each time she cut him off with German expletives. And Peter thought his aunt May was scary when she was angry. Peter tried and tried to get her to listen but eventually gave up. The attorney, however, made it clear to him that once Mila set her mind to something there was no changing it. When Peter asked the attorney what would happen to Mila's ex-husband if he took Richard's identity, Rios waved off his fears saying that in order for Cassamento to be exonerated a DNA test would need to be ordered by a judge to prove whether or not Peter was the previously deceased Richard. Then the attorney laughed and said Cassamento would be staying in jail until he completed his sentencing. He told Peter that they were not filing to bring Richard back to life rather they were allowing him, Peter, to use Richard's name. In other words, Mila was adopting him. They were using Richard's name so that it would be easier for Peter to get a job in Gotham since he had no identity. It was a favor he shouldn't turn down. Peter felt like that was a threat but he didn't say anything about it. And he really shouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth. He wasn't doing anything illegal, per se. Not to mention, it eased his mind that Mila knew Peter wasn't her nephew come to life.

That same day, thanks to the connections Mila had, Peter's new identity was established and he was issued a driver's license, a bank account, and an apartment in the city. Rios was practically glued to his side all day. At the end of it, Peter was glad to see the man leave. Of course, before he left the attorney let him know that Mila was expecting him for breakfast the following day. Peter sat in his new apartment feeling completely drained. And just as he was drifting off to sleep a knock on the window had him wide-awake on the instant. When he looked over, he saw Robin waving at him with one hand while holding a box of pizza in the other. Peter sighed and went to the window to let the young man in.

"Have you been following me all day?" Peter said in annoyance while he took the box from the boy.

"I didn't have to," Robin said with a smirk. "The USB I gave you has a tracker."

Peter gave him an unimpressed look before he bit into a slice of pizza. After chewing and swallowing, he sighed. "So what do you really want? I doubt you came here just to wake me up and feed me. Not that I'm complaining about the pizza."

Robin smiled. "I wanted to know what you were going to do."

"About what, Cassamento?"

Robin nodded.

"I'm not Richard, I mean, I am Richard, now, but I'm not that Richard. The dead Richard. In other words, Cassamento is staying in jail for murdering the other Richard so you and Huntress can rest easy."

"Really?" Robin said, a little surprised.

"Yeah, the attorney, Freddie Rios, basically said nothing could get him exonerated," Peter said with a shrug and plopped down into his couch. He took another bite of his slice.

"Oh, well that's good news."

"Mm-hmm."

"So what's going to happen to you now?" Robin said, gesturing to the apartment. "You work for Mila now?"

"Uh," Peter said and shrugged. "I guess?"

Robin sighed. "Look, uh, what's your name?"

"Peter, er," he had to stop himself before he called himself Peter Parker. "Richard Peter, but just call me Peter. It's weird to be called Richard, you know?" he said and took another bite to keep himself from rambling.

"She gave you his name?" Robin asked and Peter nodded. "But you're not him?"

"Nope."

"Do you know who you are?"

"Uh," Peter shifted in his seat. That was a loaded question. Because yeah, he knew who he was. But he couldn't say. Playing an amnesiac was not easy. Mila was doing him a bigger favor than she knew. Having him assume the identity of a previously deceased man and him actually not knowing anything other than what Robin shared with him helped with the entire loss of memory schtick.

"Right, the amnesia," Robin said and looked at him as if he were assessing him. "Do you want to find out who you really are? I can help you—"

"No," Peter said, cutting him off. "It's not necessary. Besides, Mila already went through all the trouble of setting me up and…" Peter sighed. He felt like an idiot. But if Robin looked into his whereabouts, maybe it would lead him to the lab, and Peter would rather not have anyone look into that. Nope. That was a terrible idea. He was better off being Richard Peter until he found a way back to his own dimension.

"And now you're stuck under her thumb," Robin said and crossed his arms over his chest. "Look, Peter, Mila isn't the best person to be working for...do you understand?"

"Hey, I'm not going to suddenly become a mobster or anything," Peter said defensively. "She just..." _reminds me of family_ "...look, I don't know what I'm going to do but I'm not going to break the law. She asked me to help her protect her son. As far as I know, that's not illegal. And I don't mind either."

Robin nodded. "If you ever feel like you're in over your head, you can call me for help."

"Oh yeah, you have a Robin signal I can light up or something?" Peter said with an amused smile.

Robin huffed and pulled a card out of his utility belt. "That's my number."

"Not that I'm not flattered," Peter said with a raised brow. "But you're a little too young for me."

"Very funny," Robin deadpanned, making Peter laugh. "Seriously, if you're in hot water give me a call."

"Sure," Peter said, knowing it wouldn't be necessary. He could take care of himself just fine, thank you very much. He was Spider-man. Not that he could tell anyone that. He held back a sigh. He should at least be grateful that he didn't end up in the microverse or up in space or something equally foreign. Not that Gotham wasn't foreign. But it at least reminded him of New York. Sure, a grittier, darker, gloomier version of New York but it still felt sort of felt like home.

"Goodnight," Robin said and headed for the window.

"Thanks for the pizza," Peter said and waved with a new slice in his hand.

He reached into his pocket for the USB drive once Robin was out of sight and crushed it in his hand before he went to the trash to drop the damaged piece inside. _A tracker? What else would he do?_ He looked towards the window and idly wondered whether or not Robin had bugged his place. _Probably, but I'm too tired to give a damn right now._ Peter finished off his slice of pizza before he went back to bed and succumbed to deep sleep in a matter of minutes.

* * *

"Freddie spoke to the Huntress," Mila told Peter during breakfast the following day. "You don't have to worry about her harassing you further. If any of the bats come to you, let me know. I'll make sure they back off."

"Of course, Mila." Peter swallowed. He wasn't sure what she meant by that and he frankly, didn't want to know. Mila was a strong capable woman and he'd rather not delve into what she did or how she did it. It was clear to Peter, even before Robin's warning, that Mila was part of the mob in some way. He didn't care to know more than that. A part of being Spider-man was to protect people, all people. Mila and Aiden may be targeted again. And until he knew for certain that they were safe, he was going to do his part to protect them. And even though Batman and the others were keeping an eye on Mila for now, they would eventually stop. Peter knew that first hand. They couldn't only protect one person when there was a city of people in need. Gotham didn't need Spider-man when it had Batman. But Mila and Aiden did need him.

The night that Peter met Mila her personal bodyguard had been killed on their drive home from a friend's house. They stopped at a red light where someone walked up the car and pulled the driver out. Another goon went for the passengers when the bodyguard stepped out. Both the driver and bodyguard were killed before Mila took the wheel. She was herded towards the pier where she got out to take cover with her son but was quickly found and soon after that, Peter stepped in to help.

Mila wasn't going to be able to replace her bodyguard easily. The man had been at her side for over twenty years. And so Peter was tasked with the job of shadowing the new bodyguard on Aiden's outings. Mila would not be cowed and she would not allow her son to become a shut-in. Peter wasn't too happy to leave Mila alone with only her business partner, who just so happened to be her closest friend, while he accompanied Aiden his appointment with the speech therapist but there wasn't much he could do. Especially when Mila reassured him with a, "I have business to attend to and will be fine on my own. Aiden is—vee zahgt mahn (how you say?)—not capable to be on his own. He is a babe, you understand? You will go with him."

"I understand," Peter said and sighed. "Not that I like it." Of course, that last part he said under his breath.

Mila narrowed her eyes at him but refrained from saying anything. She needed Peter to watch her son. She couldn't trust anyone in her employ. For the time being, she didn't even trust Aiden to be in her company. She was a target, not her son. So she made certain to make time with her son the day prior. She needed him to understand who Peter was and why he was going to be around. She knew her boy would become attached to the young man. But there wasn't much she could do in that respect. She'd seen Peter a few weeks back and had someone watch him. At first, she had believed that he was her nephew. But it was only wishful thinking on her part. She hadn't wanted to approach him but it seemed like destiny had her own thoughts on the matter. Seeing Peter stand up for her and Aiden to those lowlifes Mila knew she could trust him. The young man had done nothing but help others while he was at the shelter. He'd even turned down an offer from Wayne. To her, that spoke volumes of his character. She knew he wouldn't be easily bought. And she was very much aware that the only reason he'd stuck around was to further protect them. She didn't understand how someone could be so selfless but she would pay him back with her resources and welcome him into her family as if he was her nephew.

Peter accompanied Aiden to his appointment and since Mila had said something about a mid-morning meeting he decided to take Aiden to the park before lunch. But Aiden had different plans, he wanted to go to the zoo. He had to make sure that was okay with the bodyguard who gave the okay once he'd made a quick call to Mila.

Much to Peter's surprise, the Gotham Zoo was quite pleasant. There were plenty of people enjoying the day with their families and young children. Even the animals seemed to be in a good mood. Aiden enjoyed the giraffe exhibit the most. Especially when one got close enough to them to lick Peter's face instead of taking the food Aiden had been offering. Peter thought it was disgusting but Aiden found it hilarious. Hearing the little boy laugh sent Peter into a fit of chuckles as well. And the whole incident had been captured on film by a zoo employee. Peter was given a card with instructions so that he could purchase and download the pictures online.

At some point, while Peter was in-line to buy snacks with Aiden at his hip, he felt his spider-sense flare-up. No matter where he turned to look, there was no danger around. With the exception of the bodyguard, who was missing, nothing else seemed amiss. Peter didn't know if the bodyguard had skipped out on them. Maybe he'd followed a potential target or could have been abducted by whoever was after Mila. Peter decided it was time to cut the zoo visit short. He checked his pockets for Robin's card. Peter knew he could protect Aiden, but he wasn't so sure if he could fight someone or a group of someones with Aiden in his arms. Because that's where Aiden would stay until he was sure they were out of harm's way.

"Alright, Aiden, I think it's best to leave for now," Peter told him as he looked into the boy's eyes. Aiden pouted a little and Peter could imagine his complaint in the manner. But Aiden seemed to know that it was best not to protest. "I just need to call someone…" Peter looked around hoping to see a pay phone somewhere. But he knew there wouldn't be one. It was the age of cell phones after all. But it didn't hurt to look. He might get lucky and run into—"Oof!"

"Hey, sorry about that," said the voice of whoever had bumped into Peter. "Are you two okay?"

"Yeah," Peter said, gripping Aiden a little tighter. He noticed then that the other guy was only a few years younger than him. Dark-haired, blue-eyed with an easy smile. He wore a brown leather jacket paired with jeans. So maybe not one of the mobsters looking for Aiden. "I'm sorry too, I was distracted." Then he noticed the guy had a cell phone in his hand. Peter pointed at it. "Do you mind? I need to make a call. It's kind of an emergency."

"Uh, sure," the guy said and handed the phone over.

Peter looked around and not seeing or feeling any danger he put Aiden down to fish the card Robin had given him out of his pocket. He dialed the number while the other guy cast him a curious look as he stared at the card with a raised brow. Then Peter heard a phone ring not too far from him. If it wasn't for the fact that he could hear better than most, he wouldn't have known that the person who answered the call and the voice he heard fifty feet away was the same guy. Robin was definitely stalking him. Peter rolled his eyes in annoyance.

"In different circumstances, I would be angry that you're actually at the zoo right now," Peter said as an answer looking in the direction he knew Robin was in. He just couldn't see him.

"How'd you know?" Robin said in a small voice.

"Doesn't matter," Peter said and rubbed Aiden's shoulder. "Arman is missing." He said missing instead of abducted—though he wasn't too sure that was what happened—for Aiden's benefit. He really hoped Robin knew what he meant.

"Not missing, he left," Robin told him.

"I was hoping that wasn't what happened," Peter said and gave the stranger who'd let him borrow his phone a just-one-more-minute gesture. "Uh, so, on another note, I need a Rüber."

The stranger snorted. Peter smiled at him.

"Right," Robin said, sounding annoyed. "Pass the phone to the guy who's with you."

"O-kay," Peter said warily and handed off the phone. "It's Robin, like Batman's whatever. He wants to talk to you."

The stranger laughed a little then cleared his throat before answering the call.

"Yeah," said the stranger.

Peter lifted Aiden back into his arms and looked around again.

"Yeah, yeah, got it." The stranger hung up the phone and pointed at Peter. "Alright, you're coming with me. I was just hired to be your personal bodyguard. So, where are we off to?"

Peter's spider-sense flared. It was a lot stronger than it had been earlier.

"First off, run!" Peter said and took off in a sprint as a couple of goons came out of hiding. They were barreling towards them. The stranger stayed at Peter's back shouting off directions for Peter then lagged behind. Peter heard a few shots go off and turned just to see a guy holding on to his bloody leg and the stranger coming towards him. Further away, he could hear the sounds of a fight. He knew it was Robin and felt a pang of guilt. But it couldn't be helped. Aiden came first.

"He can't run after us now," the stranger said with a grin. At Peter's horrified look, he scoffed. "He isn't," he looked at Aiden then twisted his lips, "...going to stop breathing anytime soon. So chill."

"Sure, say that while random people are screaming and running wild in a zoo. You don't think there's something wrong with this picture?" Peter said exasperatedly gesturing to the other zoo guests who'd panicked at the sound of the gunshots. Aiden laughed at Peter's enthusiastic gestures. Peter felt a little bad for the boy. He was already used to a certain level of violence and somehow this situation was funny to him. _At the very least, he isn't scared._

The stranger rolled his eyes at Peter and ruffled Aiden's hair once they hid behind an employee only access gate. Then he lifted his phone to his ear, said a few words, and repocketed it. "Got the all clear, let's go."

"Yeah, as soon as you promise not to shoot that thing again," Peter said standing his ground. He pointed to the gun still in the stranger's hands. He gave a pointed look towards Aiden.

The stranger put the gun back into its holster within the jacket and lifted his hands showing Peter the back and the front of them. "Happy now?"

"Happy-er," Peter corrected. They made their way to the exit only running into security who were heading in the direction they'd come in. "How'd you get that past security anyway?"

"I used the employee entrance."

Peter shook his head. _Does Robin really trust this guy?_ He'd heard that Batman was somewhat ruthless but he didn't think he worked with gun-wielding mercenaries. Or that Robin would. Because he figured that that was what this guy was.

"How do you know Robin?"

"Uh," the guy faltered a step and looked at Peter with a frown. "Working relationship?"

"You're not sure?" Peter said skeptically.

"I don't know what I can tell you," the stranger said.

"Really? _You_ don't trust _me_?" Peter lifted his one free hand in exasperation. "The guy with the gun doesn't trust _me_. You believe this guy?" He directed that question to Aiden who simply giggled at his dramatics.

The guy waved a dismissive hand. "Not for my sake. _His_. He wears a mask for a reason."

"Oh, yeah, I guess I can understand that," Peter said and adjusted Aiden on his hip. "So what do I call you?"

"Uh," he looked over at Peter when he came to a stop. He turned back to look around the corner of a building before he gestured them forward again. Then he smirked. "Todd. You can call me Todd."

"Alright, Todd. I'm Peter and this is Aiden," Peter told him and pointed at Aiden. "We need to stop and get some food for this guy at some point."

"Sure, we can go to Batburger afterward," Todd said with a wide smile.

"Batburger?" Peter said and seeing Aiden nod emphatically, he smiled. "Batburger it is."


	5. Oh look, chapter five

As soon as they walked into the Batburger, Peter could see why Aiden wanted to go there. It was a Batman-themed restaurant. Peter had never met a kid who didn't like Superheroes. Aiden had been really excited before they arrived. They had to ride on the back of Todd's bike. Aiden was sandwiched between Peter and Todd and couldn't see what direction they'd gone. They'd been at a redlight and Peter had been looking around wanting to make sure they weren't followed when Aiden nearly scared the crap out of him. He stood up on the seat wanting to see where they were. Peter quickly sat him down and told him they were nearly there. Now the kid was doubly excited since his meal came with a Robin toy. His mother wouldn't take that away from him, Peter was almost certain of that. If it had been a Batman, it would've definitely disappeared.

They ate in relative silence. Both Peter and Todd maintaining a certain level of vigilance. Peter was blocking Aiden with his body by sitting beside him. Todd took the seat in front of the boy for the same reason. Peter didn't have the best seat to watch the entire restaurant but head a clear view of the street in front of the restaurant from the front window. Todd was texting periodically but kept his eyes on his surroundings. And for that Peter was grateful.

"Are you all done there?" Peter asked Aiden as he gestured to his food. Aiden nodded and pushed the last of his fries away. But before he could say anything else he noticed Todd tensing up from the corner of his eyes. Peter turned around in time to see a woman take the seat in front of him.

_Damn. She's a looker. Not that I'm looking. But I can't help noticing it._

"Helena," Todd said through tight lips but the woman didn't turn to look at him. She was staring at Peter intently. Then her eyes moved to Aiden.

_What the hell does she want with Aiden? Should I be worried about this?_

Peter frowned at the woman and she turned to look at him. But Peter had noticed that Aiden had tightened his fist around his Robin toy and he scooted over on the booth to be closer to Peter. To make certain that Aiden felt safe, Peter wrapped an arm around the boy.

_Damn. Even Aiden noticed that her presence is not exactly friendly._

"Richard," the woman said in a calm voice. "I need you to turn the boy over to me."

"That's not happening," Peter told her and he heard Todd cock the gun that at some point he'd pressed to Helena's side.

_Who is this woman? Is she with the mob? But with which family?_

"What are you doing, Helena?" Todd asked her just as his phone pinged with a new message. The phone was sitting in front of him but he didn't want to reach for it. Instead, he addressed Peter. "Read it to me."

"Let the boy go with Helena. Details later. O," Peter read and looked at Todd.

 _He better not say we should listen. Because I will fight them both off and I won't hold back._ _I'll use my webs if I have to. Aiden comes first._

"No. We need details now, O," Todd said to Helena who Peter realized was wearing a comm.

_Who the hell is O?_

"Don't be stubborn," Peter read the next message and pushed the phone away. _I'm not playing this game._ "I don't know who this O is or who _you_ are, lady, but I'm not allowing you to take the boy. He is under my protection and he will not be leaving my side."

Aiden tightened his hold on Peter's shirt when he heard him say that. Only his mother and cousin had ever protected him so fiercely. Aiden felt safe with Peter. Just like he had with his cousin right up to the moment he saw him killed by his father. Aiden never told anyone he was there when it happened. But his father told him not to say a word or he'd kill his mother. Aiden hadn't uttered a word since then. He was not too young to understand that if his father was looking to take him, it wasn't to protect him. It would be to silence him for good. Whatever his mother was doing, it was simply to protect him. But they needed to get his mother back and he had to face his father or none of it would ever end.

Peter was glaring at Helena. But it didn't seem to faze her. Then she pulled a phone out of her pocket right before it began to ring. She didn't answer it. Instead, she held out for Peter to take.

_The man behind the curtain is just a simple man whose grandeur is an artificial construct. There's no reason to fear or listen to the Great and Powerful O._

"I'm not answering that," Peter said and pulled Aiden into his lap wrapping his arms around the boy protectively. "If this O is so important, they can come out from behind the curtain to talk to me face to face. But since that's not going to happen, excuse us."

Peter stood up with the boy. He gave Todd a meaningful look and at the other man's nod, Peter made his way out the back of the restaurant. Once they were in the alleyway, Peter told Aiden to close his eyes and to hang on tight before he began to scale the building. Once he was in the reach of the fire-escape, he took them instead. When they reached the rooftop, Robin was standing there.

"What are you doing up here?" Robin said looking them over. "Is everything okay?"

_Again. I should be angry he's stalking me. But clearly this isn't the time._

"No," Peter told him sharply. "Someone showed up demanding that I hand Aiden over to her."

"Someone?" Robin said as he thought back to who had walked into the restaurant. He'd been keeping watch.

"Todd called her Helena," Peter said with a frown. "And someone who referred to themselves as O sent her."

"Helena? That doesn't make any sense," Robin said with a small shake of his head. "Wait, did you say O?"

Peter nodded.

"Oracle, what the hell are you doing?" Robin said after having pressed a button on the comm in his ear.

Peter was grateful for his enhanced hearing. Because he clearly heard the mechanical voice on the other end.

"Mila has been taken into protective custody by the FBI. Casamento got nervous and sent his men out to retrieve his son before Falcone's men attempted to kill him in retribution of Mila's betrayal. You know as well as I do that if that boy isn't taken into a safe house, a full out war will come down on the streets of Gotham. I'm trying to prevent that."

Robin sighed and Peter could see that his fists were tightened. "By scaring a little boy?" Robin said that quietly through gritted teeth.

"I'm trying to keep him safe. But Gotham is the priority. We can't allow a war to—"

"Shut up, Oracle," Robin told the voice. "Listen to yourself."

"Robin, you do not—"

"Oracle, leave Gotham to Batman. Stay out of it."

"Batman would make the same ca—"

"Did you even talk to B before you tried to kidnap the boy?" Robin asked and the line stayed silent. "I didn't think so. From where I'm standing, the boy is in good hands. He doesn't need you or your birds. Call Huntress back."

_Whoa. Helena is Huntress?_

"You're making a huge mistake."

"Unlike you, my priority is the boy. You know as well as I do that B will back me up," Robin told the voice. There was no reply. "Call her back, Oracle."

"I took care of it. But know this, we're done."

_That did not sound good. Whatever agreement they had previously is void. I kind of feel bad about that. But this O sounds like a tool. Robin is probably better off not working with them._

Robin stood there with his eyes closed while he tried to calm down.

"Is everything okay now?" Peter asked as if he hadn't heard the entire conversation.

"Yes," Robin said and smiled to reassure the other man. "Oracle works with us as technical support. Recently she formed her own team and has them working out of Gotham. Batman has given her a wide berth so long as she doesn't interfere with his work. She knows better than to overstep."

_Oracle is a woman. And this woman is on some sort of power trip from the sounds of it. Damn. Why'd I have to get caught in the middle of this?_

Just then a shrill loud noise broke through Robin's comm making the boy scream and buckle into himself. At the same time, Peter fell to his knees and tried to shut out the noise with one hand. It was impossible of course. He had Aiden in his arms. Aiden seemed to understand and covered his ears with both of his little hands as Peter fell slowly to the ground. He never let go of Aiden and was careful not to cry out. Aiden was confused about what was causing both Peter and Robin pain. His eyes filled with unshed tears and he whimpered softly in fear.

_Goddammit. Peter. Get a hold of yourself. You've had worse pain. Aiden needs you._

When the noise was cut off, a loud growl was heard from the alleyway. It took a few breaths for Peter to sit back up and for the ringing in his ears to clear. But he heard Todd shout angrily from the fire escape. "God fucking shit, Barbie! What the fuck?!"

Robin pulled the comm out of his ear and crushed it in his hand. "I didn't know she was so vindictive."

_So O was a woman named Barbie. Proper name, Barbara. How many Barbaras could there be in Gotham that are close to Todd? She better not threaten to take Aiden away again because I will find her and I'll do whatever is necessary to stop her._

Robin looked towards Peter when he realized the other man was sitting on the roof. The boy had wrapped his arms tightly around him. _So much for trying not to scare the kid. Great job, Robin._

"Hey, are you two okay? What happened?" Robin asked inching closer to offer Peter a hand.

"Yeah, I just thought we were in danger when I heard you and Todd scream that I dropped for cover or something," Peter said with an awkward chuckle as he straightened up. I hope _that sounded normal enough. Don't need to let in that I have enhanced hearing. Though that really backfired on me this time. And I think I need to thank Aiden. The little man really helped me out there._ Peter rubbed Aiden's back to get him to relax. It helped. "So, what happened?"

"What happened is that O was listening to this idiot and decided to teach us both a lesson," Todd said and crushed his own comm after he reached the roof. "You know better than to insult her while she's listening."

"That's just it, isn't it?" Robin said with a small smirk. "She's always listening."

"So you said it on purpose?" Todd said making Robin chuckle. "Fuck, kid. Was it worth it to get me on her bad side too?"

"We were all bound to bump heads sooner or later. But I was prepared for it," Robin said and opened up a hologram computer on his gauntlet. He smirked at Todd before he executed a virus into Bruce's system that led right into Oracle's. "Alright, I've given us a two-hour window. Do you have any safe houses that she doesn't know about?"

"I may know one or two that are off the radar," Todd said and smirked right back. "Let's go."

* * *

"You call this a safe house?" Robin asked as he eyed the Robinson's Park warily. "You actually have permission to have one here?"

"Well, it's not mine. But Pamela is at her summer home," Todd said with a smirk. _Arkham Asylum really. But no need to scare the new kids._ "Besides, the park is the only area that Oracle doesn't have access to and that anyone in their right stays away from."

"Why?" Peter asked. He patrolled the park at twilight and yeah, after dark it got spooky but there was no real reason to stay clear if it.

"Pamela Isley—or better known as Poison Ivy—controls the plants of the park. And they tend to strangle intruders," Robin said, sounding casual.

"Then why the hell did we come here?" Peter said angrily.

_That doesn't sound safe at all. What the hell were these two boneheads thinking?_

"Pamela doesn't hurt children," Todd replied. Then he gestured to Robin. "She considers him a child as well."

"You too," Robin said to Todd with a scoff.

"Yeah, me too," Todd said and shrugged.

"Uh, why would she consider you a child?" Peter said with a tilt of his head.

"I'm technically seventeen," Todd replied with a shrug.

"Should I be worried about myself?" Peter said as they entered further into the park and he started to see the vines move on their own accord through the grass.

_Holy shit! If this isn't an M. Night Shyamalan film effect I'm going to shit myself._

"Not unless you hurt one of the plants," Robin said looking back at him.

_Yeah, about the plants. I'm not the only one seeing this, right?_

"Don't touch them. Don't step on them. And if you feel threatened by them," Todd said looking him in the eye. "Profess your undying devotion to plants of all kinds."

"Are you serious?" Peter said watching his step.

_I love all plants. I really really do. I just can't keep one alive for the life of me. But it's more to do with my Parker luck than not wanting them to live. God, do you think they know I suck at gardening? Oh man, I really hope they don't._

"Nah," Todd said with a chuckle after a beat. "You're good. You're Aiden's guardian. That's your ticket in. But seriously. Don't fuck with the plants."

"Okay," Peter said slowly and nervously. Then he stopped walking as a tree branch moved towards him. A flower bloomed and the stem grew longer so that the center was eye to stigma with him. Peter felt as if the flower was scrutinizing him. He tightened his hold on Aiden but moved the boy over to his back as if to protect him from the flower.

_Oh god, if I survive this all my fears from the Invasion of the Body Snatchers are going to come back full force. I'm never going to see another plant the same way again._

When he did that the branch moved back and the vines on the ground retreated. "Uh."

_I'm not freaking out at all._

"Looks like you were granted entry. Come on, we're almost to the house," Todd said and now they all moved faster.


	6. Oh look, chapter six

Peter was leaning against the wall of the room he and Aiden were housed in. They had taken refuge in some obscure cottage within the park that was straight out of a fairytale. If seven dwarfs pranced in whistling the song 'Heigh-Ho' Peter probably wouldn't even bat an eye. Add to that the fact that he was becoming familiar with the plants. He observed them, you know, the way a scientist does. He hypothesized that they were sentient. He tested his hypothesis. They responded to different modulations of the human voice. Sometimes aggressively. But only towards him. Peter had never been so quiet in his life. The plants creeped him out. And not in an abstract scientific way. Just the normal heebie-jeebies way. Aiden took a liking to plants. He talked to them while Peter observed. Peter couldn't hear what Aiden was saying. But that was beside the point. It was the reaction of the plants themselves that Peter was interested in. The vines brought Aiden fruit. Very sweet apples amongst the spoils. Peter tasted them first and since he didn't keel over à la Snow White, he let Aiden eat them too. But he came to a conclusion: the plants were not to be trusted.

Then something started to happen that sent his spider-sense into high alert. A sweet scent permeated the room. After a moment when he finally found the source of the aroma attack, he felt like he could just melt into a puddle. The vines moved his body about like a puppet to lay him down on a bed of leaves. But he couldn't react to what was happening. Because he was in a dream. It had to be a dream. Aiden was talking to a plant creature of some sort that had a humanoid shape. And everyone knew plant creatures that pretended to be people didn't exist. Peter was only hallucinating. Aiden was fine. Safe and sound. Peter had nothing to worry about.

The last thing Peter heard was a melodic voice telling him to sleep. So he did.

A sharp scent hit his nose. Peter lifted his hands to cover his face as he scooted away from the smell. It wasn't pleasant.

"Ugh! What is that smell? Turn it off," Peter said as he hit a wall and opened his still unfocused eyes.

"It's peppermint," said a deep baritone.

"Ugh! I hate peppermint," Peter said in disgust, finally dropping his hands. His vision cleared and he realized he was talking to Batman. "What are _you_ doing here?" He looked around and didn't recognize the area. It looked like an enchanted forest. He was leaning against a tree. "What am _I_ doing here? Is this—Is this Neverland?"

"We're in Robinson's Park."

"Uh, right. I remember that," Peter said and rubbed his face. _Neverland? I said that to Batman. He probably thinks I'm an idiot man-child. Well, so does everyone else. Alright, so no biggie there._ "So where's Robin and—Wait! Where's Aiden?" Peter said looking around frantically.

"He's back with his mother," Batman told him and he had a slight frown on his face. Peter noticed.

_Uh-oh. Here comes the bad news._

"You've been missing for two days."

"Missing?! Two days?! How did that happen? The last thing I remember is that Robin left us in Snow White's cottage. And I was waiting for the dwarfs but they never came. Then the vines fed us apples. And then the Good Witch told me to go to sleep. And there was a humanoid plant creature talking to Aiden," Batman hummed, "but Aiden was perfectly safe so I decided I should sleep because I was very tired. But then again I probably dreamt the entire thing. Because all that sounded very stupid. And I assure you I'm not a stupid man—"

Batman held up a hand to stop him from talking. "You were drugged."

"Drugged?" He ran a hand over his hair. _At least he doesn't think I'm stupid. Or maybe he does and he's just being nice? Ugh!_ "Is that going to show up on my bloodwork? Because I may need a new job and new employers frown upon drug use," Peter said and Batman ignored the quip.

"Let's go," Batman said, holding out a hand for Peter.

"So what's going to happen now? Are Mila and Aiden safe? The reason I ended up in this situation was because the mob was after Aiden and even the Great and Powerful O wanted to kidnap him. And Todd thought Poison Ivy's funhouse of vines was the most secure place to keep a child safe. Since Aiden is safe I guess he was right. But seeing that I was knocked unconscious not so safe for adults. Thanks for looking for me, by the way. How long do you think I'd still be conked out if you hadn't found me?"

Peter looked over towards Batman who just kept walking through the park as if he hadn't heard a word. Though Peter knew he was listening. Maybe taking mental notes. Peter had to wonder what his thought process was. To be classified as the world's best detective the amount of information he processed had to be exhausting. That's why Peter liked thinking aloud best. It was his way of giving his brain an outlet so that it didn't burn out.

As they passed a grove of trees, Peter saw the Batmobile and whistled in appreciation.

"Get in."

"Sure, why not? I could go for a ride in the Batmobile," Peter said as he climbed into the vehicle. "Not that I normally accept rides from strangers. But since you're Robin's sorta dad I guess you're not a stranger? Plus you just saved me from sleep and an enchanted forest. So that makes you safe in my book. And it's not like you're not the best company. Nobody likes a chatterbox. Am I right?"

Peter looked over at Batman who had been busy turning on the Batmobile and typing something into his gauntlet. Wait. _Was Batman texting? Did Batman text?_ What Peter wouldn't do for Batman's phone number. He'd text him every day. Twice a day even. Just to say hello or something equally inane. Batman seemed like he needed casual, maybe humorous, social interactions to balance him out.

The seats had automatic seatbelts. They locked Peter in place. And before Peter knew it, Batman had gunned it. They were out of the park and rushing through the streets of Gotham in less than sixty seconds. It was late afternoon by the looks of it. Batman drove him straight to Mila's place without saying a word. Peter had a lot to say still. He especially had a lot to say when he was nervous. And he hated awkward silences. But the force of the speed kept him from speaking out of sheer awe. When they stopped in front of Mila's place Peter's face lit up in excitement.

"Oh my god! Can we go again? Please. Please. Please."

"Maybe some other time," Batman said and the passenger door opened up. Peter could've sworn he saw a hint of a smile on Batman's face for a second. "For now, there's a very worried woman and child waiting for you."

Peter's seatbelt retracted. And Batman pointed to the house.

"Right. Hey, really, thanks for finding me and waking me up and giving me a ride home. I appreciate it. Have a good evening," Peter said in a rush as he climbed out of the car. He heard a grunt from Batman but he didn't turn around. He hurried to the house. His heart was hammering in his chest. His heartbeat was loud to his own ears. He was nervous but eager to see Aiden. He had to see with his own eyes that the boy was safe and sound.

As soon as he walked into the living room he heard Mila gasp.

"Peter!" She stood up and quickly made her way to him.

"Aunt Mila," Peter said, the title slipping out on its own accord. He walked up to her and hugged her. He was happy she was safe. Then he turned at the sound of pitter-patter coming down the stairs. "Hey, buddy!" Peter laughed as he scooped up the boy.

"I knew you were safe. I knew it. They promised. And I told my mom and the police. But they didn't believe me," Aiden said in a soft voice sounding close to tears. Peter had never heard the boy say so much all at once.

"Hey, it's okay. I'm here now. Batman saved me and brought me home," Peter said, grinning. "Have you ever ridden in the Batmobile?"

Aiden shook his head and wiped his eyes.

"Oh man, buddy. It was awesome!"

"Batman," Mila scoffed. "About time he did something right."

Peter chuckled. "You have _no_ idea how happy I am that the two of you are okay."

"The boy goes missing for two days. _Two_ days. And _he's_ worried about us?" Mila said and shook her head. "You hear him, Aiden?" She cursed in German and wiped under her eyes carefully to not smudge her make-up. Aiden chuckled and hugged Peter tighter. "You must be hungry. Come. I have plenty to eat."

"What about you, Aiden? You hungry?" Peter said looking over at the boy. He didn't miss the dark circle under his or Mila's eyes. They'd truly been worried about him.

"Uh-huh," Aiden said with a nod.

Mila looked back and smiled at her son. She was grateful that Peter had returned. Aiden had been refusing to eat. And no matter how often he'd said Peter was safe, he still refused to have a meal.

Peter scrunched up his face. "Why do you smell so funky, buddy?"

Aiden pulled a face and looked away from Peter once he was settled into a chair.

"Tell him how you refused to take a bath or eat or listen to your mamà until Peter returned. Go on, tell him," Mila said with and sighed dramatically.

Aiden wrung his hands together. "They wouldn't listen. So I refused to listen to them."

"Oh, boy," Peter said to himself and turned Aiden's face towards him. "You can't do that, Aiden. Your mom can't take care of you if you don't listen to her. I know that sometimes it could be frustrating when you feel like you're being treated like a child. But you are a child. And you have to trust that your mom hears you and is doing everything in her power to resolve a situation. You don't want to cause her more worries on top of the ones she already has right, buddy?" Aiden shook his head. Peter smiled at him and ruffled his hair. "For now, let's eat, and then you need to wash that funk off."

"You too!"

"Yeah, me too," Peter said with a chuckle and pinched Aiden's nose.

"Good. I don't like having to smell either of your odors," Mila said sounding annoyed. She served them both full plates of food.

As they ate, Peter refrained from asking anything about what had happened. Mila didn't seem inclined to talk about it in front of Aiden either. Peter didn't blame her. So it wasn't until after they'd had their fill of food, had washed up, and Aiden was taken to bed that Mila filled him in on what had happened.

Casamento got word of his nephew's miraculous return to the world of the living. But instead of fearing it like his men did, he decided to use it to his advantage. He made arrangements to speak to his lawyer who after hearing what he had to say investigated the matter. The lawyer then moved to appeal the conviction but was denied by the courts. Freddie Rios had been one step ahead and had informed the DA of Peter's special circumstances. Casamento was not deterred and involved the FBI who took Mila into custody to question her for having falsely accused her ex-husband of murder. Mila had called in her attorney and after a full day of questioning, they released her. But the damage had already been done.

Casamento used the opportunity to sow distrust in Mila's men. Which explained why Arman abandoned Aiden and Peter at the zoo. He, like many of the men who worked for Mila, went into hiding thinking she'd turn them in for things they'd done in the past. Casamento also sent out his men to abduct Aiden. And had spread rumors of Falcone's involvement. Though that was far from true. Falcone didn't know or care what Mila was up to since, according to him, had no business dealings with the wretched woman.

When Aiden and Peter went off the radar, Casamento's men were all taken into custody by Batman, Robin, and the Red Hood. But Casamento went missing. At the time of his disappearance, guards and the prisoners in the adjacent cells mentioned a tremor. The prisoner that was in the cell that faced Casamento's mentioned that the floor beneath Casamento opened and he was pulled into the ground. Casamento screamed in fear for help and then was gone.

When Robin returned to Poison Ivy's hideout to check on Aiden and Peter, Peter was missing. And Aiden was being babysat by a humanoid plant creature. And in the corner of the room, Robin saw a cocoon made of leaves. He opened it up in a hurry thinking Peter was inside only to find a half-dead Casamento. Aiden insisted that Peter was safe but he had no idea where he'd gone.

Poison Ivy was questioned about her involvement but she had nothing to say on the matter. Batman told Gordon that he didn't think she was even aware of the situation. The humanoid plant creature couldn't be questioned as his life-span came to an end suddenly. Batman surmised that the plant creature had only come to be to protect Aiden. Whether Poison Ivy had the power to control the plants while locked away in Arkham miles away was a question that would remain unanswered. Or so Gordon told Mila when he explained to her what they knew and had no answers as to Peter's whereabouts.

"Imagine my surprise when you waltz in on your own accord when no one could say what happened to you," Mila told him and Peter rubbed his hair.

"I wish I could give you an answer about where I've been. The last thing I remember is being in the hideout with Aiden. Batman woke me in the park. He said I'd been drugged. I think it was the plants. I don't think they liked me," Peter said with a grimace that made Mila chuckle.

"Yes, yes. Aiden said that the plants put you to sleep. He didn't say much more about it than that. He couldn't give an account of what happened to you. Almost as if he was afraid to say. I didn't want to press the issue. I'm glad he's talking again and didn't want him to stop so I decided he'd said enough about the matter," Mila said looking ashamed. But Peter understood. If the only way to find him was to pressure Aiden, it wasn't worth it. He agreed.

"I'm happy for your return. And that Aiden was right when he said nothing had happened to you. I was worried about what it would do to him if you were not found. We've only known you for such few days and you're already an integral part of our little family. Now, come, no more talking. It's time to rest."

"Rest? I've slept for the past two days," Peter argued. Then he stood and wrapped an arm around Mila's shoulder as she walked to the stairs. "Thank you." He kissed her on the top of her head. "Rest easy, Aunt Mila."

"Don't stay up too long," Mila chastised with a small smile and made her way upstairs.

Peter sat on the sofa with his head in his hands. _Oh boy, oh boy. What have I gotten myself into? The worst part of it all is that I see them as family too. And I still have no idea what I'm doing here or why. Not only that but I don't feel any urgency to get home. Somehow this place is my home. What is happening to me?_


	7. Oh look, chapter seven

Peter felt his spider-sense flare. He moved out of the way of an incoming attack, but just as he did, a body slammed into him. As he lay flat on his back on the sofa with a sai at his neck and staring up at a cat mask, he had to ask himself whether or not becoming Mila's nephew had been a good idea or not. Probably not since his close encounters with vigilantes and hired hands had skyrocketed since meeting the woman.

"Who are you?" Peter asked since the woman hadn't said anything. She was just staring at him, trying to intimidate him. It didn't have the effect she'd hoped.

"Cheshire." She didn't move back but didn't offer anything further.

"Like the cheese, they sell in Connecticut?" Peter asked, tilting his head to the side. The Sai lightly scraped across his Adam's apple. He held perfectly. It made no sense to let that thing accidentally break skin. It was coated with poison. He could smell it but couldn't identify it. For all he knew, it could merely paralyze him. Then again, this woman was a ninja assassin, so his best guess was that it could kill him. So maybe _now_ , he was slightly intimidated.

"No! Why would I name myself after cheese?"

"Because it stinks as much as being a ninja assassin does," Peter said with a sarcastic smile.

"Oh, god, you're... _annoying_."

"Annoying is not knowing why a ninja would name herself after a beloved whimsical character?"

"Maybe I like the cat," she said. Peter could hear the smile in her voice.

"Do you also like attacking unarmed men who are in the middle of having an existential crisis?"

"Not... _especially_ ," she teased.

"So...what is this about? I mean, if you're going to kill me, I'd like to know why."

"You're an unknown element. I dislike unknown elements," Cheshire said flatly.

"Okay," Peter said, elongating the word. "Who hired you?"

"Mila."

"Why would Aunt Mila hire an assassin to kill me?"

"You aren't related by blood."

"You're allowed to choose your own family, Cheshire."

Cheshire moved back quickly but kept her sai in her hand. Peter used his elbows to sit up now that she wasn't pressing her knee too close to the family jewels or that poison up against his neck.

"I've heard that before."

"Are you going to tell me why Mila hired you to kill me?" Peter said, feeling a bit annoyed. Though it didn't make sense that Mila would do that. No, Cheshire was in the house for an entirely different reason, one that had nothing to do with Peter. He was almost certain of that.

"She didn't hire me to _kill_ you," Cheshire said playfully. "I was hired to be her bodyguard while she gets her house back in order. But like I said—"

"Yeah, yeah. Unknown element," Peter said in annoyance. He'd faced foes for stupider reasons.

"Poison Ivy's plants disliked you. But they didn't kill you. Why is that?"

"I have no idea. They allowed me passage and just out of the blue, drugged me. I knew I couldn't trust them."

"Wait, _you_ didn't trust them?"

"Of course not. Sentient plants with minds of their own. Would you trust them?"

"You hurt their feelings," Cheshire said and chuckled. She put her sai away and lifted her mask to get a better look at him. " _Aw_ , poor things."

"What are you talking about?" Peter said, looking at her eyes that were dancing with amusement.

"Didn't you ever have to do that experiment in school where you had to be mean to one plant and nice to another?"

"Yeah, yeah. But what does that have to do—?"

"Plants are sentient, you said so yourself. They felt your distrust much like we can feel it from other people," Cheshire said with a wide smile as she walked around and pointed at him. "They got rid of you before you acted on your feelings. That's interesting. Very interesting."

"Why is that interesting?" Peter asked and craned his neck to look at her since she made her way to stand behind him.

Cheshire chuckled and slipped into the shadows. And just like that, her entire presence had disappeared.

"Just like the Cheshire Cat," Peter said and sighed. He settled back into the sofa and closed his eyes. "Vigilantes, henchmen, living plants, ninjas… Is this a welcome to Gotham City? Something wicked my way comes? Hmm. What comes after a ninja assassin? Hopefully, not zombies."

Peter got up and shuffled off to bed before a zombie did come into the house and tried to eat his brains. But at the very least, he didn't have to worry about Aiden or Mila. Not when Mila hired someone to protect them. And once again, his presence in the house felt utterly unnecessary.

* * *

Aiden had missed a week of school due to him almost being abducted a second time and Peter going missing for a few days. Not only that, but Mila wanted to make certain Aiden was safe from her ex-husband before she allowed him to return to his regular schedule. Mila felt guilty about having ignored the first attempt on them. But now that she'd set up Peter as a volunteer at the school and that there were no longer any threats, she decided it was time to let the boy out of her sights.

Cheshire was staying out of sight, but Peter knew she would stay near Mila at all times. Aiden was covered as well. Peter and Mila's new driver, who also posed as a second bodyguard for Aiden, would be accompanying the boy to school.

Peter had no idea that Mila had hired Todd to be such driver. Aiden had mentioned the Zoo incident but skipped the part about the bike ride to Batburger much to Peter's amusement. Mila found out that Todd had once been hired by Wayne himself and came highly recommended not only by him but also Oliver Queen, who was another super famous billionaire. Todd worked for a company called Harper Security based in New York. The owner, Roy Harper, has not only worked for the President himself but also led a team of heroes that called themselves the Titans until a few years back. He'd retired from hero work and decided to start his security firm.

Peter had to wonder what that said about Mila. If she surrounded herself with assassins and heroes, what did that mean exactly? Where was her moral compass? He had no idea what it was she did. How exactly did she fit in with the mob? Other than the warning Peter had received from Robin, Peter hadn't seen or heard her break the law. But that didn't exactly mean that she didn't have dealings in illegal activities. Only that she was able to delegate said activities to her underlings to keep her hands clean. Peter sighed and decided not to dwell on the matter. He would break free from her once he was confident that Casamento was no longer after Aiden and Mila. For now, he had a little boy he had to take to school.

Todd stayed in the car while Peter and Aiden made their way into the school. Because Aiden had missed a few days of school, he wanted to go straight to class to talk to his teacher about the schoolwork he'd missed. Since Peter was assigned to help out Aiden's teacher, he thought it was a good idea to introduce himself to her.

The teacher, a redhead who was most likely in her mid-twenties, was sitting behind the desk when Peter and Aiden walked in. Aiden waved in the teacher's direction when she turned to look at them.

"Aiden, it's good to have you back," the teacher said. "And you must be Richard, Aiden's cousin, and class volunteer."

"I don't go by Richard. Please, call me Peter," he told her with a nod. The teacher rolled away from the desk and moved closer to them. Peter didn't react to her being in a wheelchair which seemed to surprise her for some reason. "So you must be Ms. Gordon?"

"You can call me Barbara, only the students call Ms. Gordon," she said with a small smile.

_Barbara, huh? What are the odds? And I wasn't looking for any Barbara's in Gotham. Wonder if she knows Todd?_

"Barbara, it's good to meet you. But before you start ordering me around, Aiden needs to talk to you about the assignments he's missed."

"Of course," Barbara said with a small smile and then turned to face Aiden.

While Aiden spoke to his teacher, Peter walked around the room trying to get a feel for the kids and the curriculum. The last time he'd stepped foot in a classroom, he was teaching middle school science. Aiden was in the fourth grade but from what he saw on the back wall, it looked like the class was well rounded. There was a table with little ecosystems built inside shoeboxes. There were geography drawings to the left and a few stories written by the students to the right.

Peter fingered through a few of them. There were a couple about Batman but more about Superman. They were essays written as a tribute to their heroes. The one that grabbed Peter's attention was one titled 'An amazing woman'. The first sentence read, 'My hero is not Wonder Woman'. That made him smile. He quickly read the essay and found out it was about the girl's mother. He could agree with the essay since he felt the same way about his Aunt May as this girl did about her mother. He grimaced at the thought of her and idly wondered if he'd ever see her again. He really hoped that she and Mary Jane were safe. All he could do was hope that Tony would come through for him and watch over them in his absence.

It took him a moment to realize that the teacher was calling out to him. Peter turned towards her.

"The bell is about to ring. Would you like to accompany me to retrieve the class or would you rather stay behind and continue reading?"

"No, I, um, I'll come with you," Peter said and followed her, and Aiden out the door.

_Already, spacing out, Parker. A great precedent_ _you're setting for yourself._

As he made his way down to the hall behind Barbara and Aiden he spotted a dark-haired woman coming out of one of the classrooms. She looked familiar to him which made no sense he didn't know but a handful of people in Gotham. When she turned fully to face him he barely contained a growl. He quickly walked up to her and at her surprised expression, grabbed her by the arm and pulled her back into the classroom.

"Why are you here?" Peter hissed angrily. He was taking full advantage of the fact that there were still no kids in the building.

"I work here," she said and gestured to the classroom at large.

Peter then noticed a bulletin board with her name in puffy cardboard letters. 'Ms. Bertenelli's 2nd-grade classroom' and pictures of the students beneath that with their birthdates on display.

Helena pulled her arm out of his grasp and walked around him. "The next time you come at me with the intent to grab me, it would be best not to be in such a public place." She looked at him over her shoulder and winked. "Dinner would also be nice."

Peter stayed in his spot mouth agape for a few seconds before he mentally shook his head. _Did she just flirt with me?_ He hurried to follow her since he'd already lost Barbara and had no idea which hallway led where. That was why he'd wanted to follow Aiden's teacher so that he could get a lay of the land. He just hadn't expected to run into the Huntress of all people. _A second-grade teacher. What were the odds?_

"Am I supposed to think it's a coincidence that you work in the same school that Aiden attends?" Peter said in a low voice so that the other teachers standing around Helena who were also coming up to their lined-up students wouldn't hear.

"Have you considered the fact that the only reason Aiden attends this particular public school _is_ because I work here?" she challenged.

"What _is_ your relationship with Mila?" Peter said undeterred.

"Your teacher is waiting for you," Helena said with an amused lilt in her voice.

"What?" Peter said stupidly.

Helena turned around and gestured to Peter with her chin. He turned to look and saw Barbara looking at him with a raised eyebrow. _Well, that's annoying. I'm already in trouble with the teacher._ Peter could hear Helena greeting her students and in his annoyance turned to look at her with his tongue out. The kids who saw him started to giggle. Peter had to quickly try to act casually when she turned around to look at him. He failed spectacularly. Before she could say anything about his awkward demeanor or the kids could tattle, he briskly walked away.


	8. Oh look, chapter eight

Peter knew he would be ordered around as soon as class started. He was asked to take roll call after the morning announcements. He figured it was so that he would learn the kids' names. But when he got stuck on a name, he turned to Barbara for help just to see her texting.

_Rassum frassum…_

He pronounced the name wrong but the kid in question simply said his name correctly. The other kids giggled and Barbara looked up with a raised brow. Peter ignored her questioning glance and continued down the list. But seriously, how was he supposed to know that Tadgh was not pronounced Tagged but Tie-gg? Sheesh!

After he took the attendance, he was tasked to deliver it to the office. He drew a blank. How was he supposed to do that again? From memory? Barbara must have read the confusion on his face. She brandished the attendance form he was supposed to fill out as he took the attendance, which she hadn't given to him prior to the attendance taking.

_Rassum frassum…_

After copying the who was there and who wasn't from the grade book where he'd marked the kids who were present or not, he went on his way. But he got lost on the way. Luckily, he found a custodian to help him. The problem, his English was broken. Peter thought it would be funny to speak to him in Spanish. But it backfired, the Turkish man knew the answer to "¿Dónde está la Biblioteca?" and took him directly there.

The librarian smiled sympathetically at him when he tried to hand in the attendance to her and had her assistant—a second-grader!—show him the way.

When he made it back to the classroom, Barbara sent him to make copies. In the copy room. He had no idea where that was. She gave him vague directions. He got lost again.

_Rassum frassum…_

The custodian found him wandering around and took him back to the library. Peter vowed to learn Turkish.

The librarian laughed when he walked up to her while rubbing the back of his neck in embarrassment. She printed out a map of the school grounds. She circled the library with a red marker and wrote 'you are here' in the margin. Peter thanked her and found the copy room after going the wrong way. He was holding the map upside down.

_Rassum frassum…_

Peter made the copies and went back to the classroom with a large pile of worksheets. Then he was sent back to the copy room so that he could collate and staple the papers. How the heck was he supposed to know that the printer did that automatically if he selected the right button when he wasn't told to do so? He had to do it all manually. He finished with a few papercuts for the trouble. He sighed in aggravation as he remembered Barabra's smirk when she sent him away.

_Rassum frassum…_

On his way back to the classroom, he ran into Barbara in the hallway. She was fraternizing with the enemy. Helena Bertinelli. They looked very chummy. They were both smiling at him too. He narrowed his eyes at them.

"The classroom is locked. You can leave the worksheets on my shelf in the copy room," Barbara said and kept smiling like she knew something he didn't. "If you didn't bring your own lunch, you can get something to eat at the cafeteria."

"Sure, right. Copy room. Cafeteria. Sounds good," Peter said and looked at the two women suspiciously before he turned to go back the way he'd come. He didn't know why but he had a suspicion that they'd been talking about him before he walked up to them.

"Lunch is over in thirty minutes," Barbara said to his retreating back. "Don't be late."

"Don't you mean, don't get lost?" Helena said in a stage-whisper. Both women giggled.

_Rassum frassum… Note to self: the librarian has a big mouth._

When Peter stepped out of the copy room, he saw Todd waiting for him.

"I brought us lunch," he said, lifting up a plastic bag that had the word 'Batburger' written in bold red letters.

"I love you so much!" Peter said with a wide grin.

"I don't hear that every day," Todd said with a shrug while a hint of a smile played at his lips.

"Well, I was having a day," Peter said, walking in step beside Todd and knocked Todd's shoulder with his in greeting. "This." He gestured to Todd and the bag as a whole. "Makes everything better."

"What happened? Todd said with a small smile.

Peter narrowed his eyes at him. "You-you already know don't you?"

"Not everything," Todd said and pinched his fingers together. "A minimal amount of information."

"I don't think I can love someone who gossips about me behind my back," Peter said with a small pout.

Todd lifted the Batburger bag up so that it was in Peter's line of sight.

"Ok, I still love you...just not as much."

Todd chuckled and steered Peter in the right direction. He almost went towards the library automatically. "The teacher's lounge is this way."

"Ugh! Why are we eating there?" Peter asked, making a face.

"That's where the adults eat," Todd said with a shrug. "Or so I was told when I asked where you were."

"Who told you that?"

"Barbie."

Peter looked at Todd in surprise. "Who?"

"Barbara Gordon. Aiden's teacher," Todd said looking at Peter curiously.

"How do you know her?" Peter said, trying not to sound too eager. He forced himself to calm down. He couldn't let Todd know what he had just realized.

"Oh," Todd said and after a beat shrugged as if he'd decided that sharing the information wasn't a big deal. "She was my tutor back in the day. She was a little mean so I called her Barbie to piss her off. The nickname sort of stuck."

Todd chuckled at the memory and Peter let out a forced breathy laugh. He was mentally reeling. Aiden's teacher was Oracle. There was zero doubt in his mind. There was no way Todd knew more than one Barbara that he called Barbie.

"But, just to be safe, you shouldn't call her that."

"Yeah, of course." Peter nodded to emphasize his words. "You know what?" he said suddenly when the office came into view. He couldn't face Barbara. Not yet. He didn't know how he'd react. "I'd rather eat outside.

"Alright," Todd said, perking up as if he didn't want to go to the teacher's lounge either. "Car's this way."

When they crossed the parking lot and made it to the car, Todd jumped up on the hood and made himself comfortable. He gestured for Peter to sit beside him. He pulled out a burger and then handed the bag over to Peter once he had situated himself on top of the car.

"This is the best place to eat a cheeseburger," Todd said with a shrug between bites.

"You think?" Peter said and swallowed his bite. "I prefer rooftops."

Todd looked over at him and grinned. "Yeah, it's a close second."

Peter nodded but didn't say a word. He was lost in thought.

"Are you worried about Aiden?" Todd said curiously.

"Yeah," Peter said and cleared his throat. His mind was on the Oracle but yes, he was worried about Aiden.

"Don't worry, he has a lot of people in his corner," Todd said and scrunched up his wrapper. "I know Helena came on a little strong the last time we saw her, but she means well. She would never hurt the kid. To be honest, I think she was worried that you would hurt him."

"Me?!"

"With your amnesia and the fact that nobody knows where you've been the last two years," Todd said with a shrug.

Peter figured that it made sense for her to be suspicious of him. From an outside perspective, it didn't make sense that Peter would care about the boy. And that was with them thinking he was Richard, the cousin. Even from his own position, it didn't make sense that he was so involved with Aiden or Mila. Except for the fact that Mila reminded him of May and Aiden could've been him. The more time he spent with them, his feelings for them became more cemented. He couldn't help but think of them as family. The only one he had in this reality. They were his home. And he would do anything to protect them.

"When Mila hired me, she said she trusted you with her son's life and I see it too, you know. You really care about that kid. I had a chat with Helena and she's less skeptical about you now."

"What is Helena to Aiden? Why does she care about him?"

"Oh, right. You don't remember her. She's your cousin. Second cousin? I'm not sure how that works," Todd said and chuckled. "Mila was raised by her uncle or whatever."

_She thinks I'm really Richard. Did Robin not tell her anything? Perhaps, that was for the best._

"But, wait a minute. Why was Aiden afraid of her then?"

"I'm not sure. I'm hazarding a guess by saying this but he may have thought she would do something to you." He stayed quiet for a bit as if he were mulling something over. Peter waited patiently for him to continue. "Helena has a dark past. I didn't know Aiden knew about it. Looking back, I'm thinking he does."

"How dark?" Peter asked as he looked at him through narrowed eyes.

"Um," Todd said tightened his lips. Peter knew that Todd wouldn't tell him. He looked like he regretted saying as much as he had. "Maybe you should ask Mila."

"Yeah, okay," Peter said with a nod. "That's fair."

Todd pulled out a box from the bag and opened it. He placed it between them. Peter looked inside and scrunched up his nose.

"What the heck is that?"

"Jokerized fries," Todd said, taking a few and popping them into his mouth.

"First off, I have no idea what that means other than a fancy way to say health hazard," Peter said as he took in the colors of whatever was drizzled over the fries. Red, green, and white. _What the heck?_

"Your loss if you don't have any," Todd said and pointed to the fries. "I'll bet you ten bucks you can't just have one."

"You're on! But if you win you're gonna have to take a rain check because I haven't gotten my allowance yet," Peter said and carefully took one fry. He waited for his spider-sense to give any kind of warning that this was dangerous. When it didn't, he bit into it and looked utterly surprised. "These _are_ good."

"You owe me ten bucks," Todd said with a smirk.

"Uh-huh," Peter said and kept eating. "I'll pay you tomorrow if I survive the consumption of these unholy fries."

Todd snorted.

The rest of the school day was fairly easy. Barbara asked him to take turns listening to the kids read while they were in groups and to let her know if any of them needed extra help. Peter figured it wasn't easy for her to get around the classroom due to her wheelchair. Though for Peter it was easier than she would know. His enhanced listening allowed him to listen to whoever he focused on. He took mental notes of the kids he heard stuttering or that had problems with certain words. There were a couple that skipped their turn reading.

When the kids went to P.E., Peter gave her a thorough rundown of how the students did during their group reading. Barbara was impressed. But she was taken aback by Peter's sudden coldness to her. He did a complete one-eighty during his lunch break. Which made no sense, because even though he'd been flustered in the morning he was still amiable towards her. Not even Helena, who told her that he'd figured out she was Huntress, had received this type of reception. Unless… Barbara mentally shook her head. He didn't know anything about her. Something else must have come to his attention during his lunch break. She decided to talk to Jay later to find out what they talked about. Then maybe she could understand his change in behavior.

When school let out, Peter walked with Aiden back to the car. Todd was waiting inside the car. He was reading a book but put it down when the door opened to greet Aiden. Peter closed the door and went to walk around the car when someone approached him.

"Mr. Richard Peter?"

Peter looked at the man with a raised brow. He was good looking. Black hair. Striking blue eyes. Pale skin.

_Holy Gotham! This man is hot!_

He could easily be GQ's man of the year or be at the sexiest man alive on People.

"I don't remember ordering a male gigolo for this evening," Peter said with a tilt of his head.

The man chuckled. Peter could've sworn a few angels received wings at the sound. Peter hated this guy.

_How is it possible for someone to be this perfect? Life just isn't fair._

"My name is Richard Grayson. I'm here on the behalf of Bruce Wayne," he said with a small amiable smile and outstretched his hand. Peter took it automatically and shook it.

"What does Bruce Wayne want with me?" Peter said drawing a blank as to how he'd gotten the attention of a billionaire. _Oh. Oh!_ "Is this about the filtration system at the soup kitchen?"

Richard put a finger on his nose and grinned.

"Don't," Peter said angrily gesturing with his hand for Richard to drop his. Richard looked at him in confusion. _Stop being so dreadfully cute. I'm not gonna like you. I'm not._ "What now? You take me to your leader? Because I gotta tell you, I won't go easily."

"What's the holdup?" Todd said, stepping out of the car. He walked up to Peter and raised an eyebrow at Richard.

"Jay?"

"It's _Todd_ , Dick."

"Woah, rude," Peter said. "I don't like the guy either on account of how good looking he is, but there's no need for name-calling."

"I agree with you there, but he likes it," Todd said with a wide smile.

"Huh?"

"Name's aside," Dick said with a small smile directed at Jay and then he looked at Peter. "There's an issue that requires your attention. I'll throw in a free meal if you sit down with me for half-hour tops."

Peter sighed heavily and looked over at Todd who shrugged. "Fine. But let me get the little tyke home, alright?"

"Sure," Dick said. "I'll meet you at Pauli's Diner in an hour."

"Pauli's?" Todd said with a raised brow. "You're really going all out for him aren't you?"

That was when the perfect facade broke. A pained expression crossed his features. "Todd," he said with a nod.

"Dick," Todd said with a roll of his eyes and gestured for Peter to get in the car.

Peter looked from one man to the other as they both turned their backs on each other simultaneously.

"Okay, what the heck was that about?" Peter said. "Is he your ex or something?"

"Drop it," Todd said with a voice that brooked no argument.

Peter pouted. "So what's this place... Pauli's? You made it sound...not so great."

"You'll see."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **  
>  _New story, 'From the perspective of Charlie Parker'. Set in the MCU during the five years post-snap. On my blog._   
>  **
> 
> **  
> _diceysmiles.wordpress.com/category/fpcp/_  
> **


	9. Oh look, chapter nine

When Peter took Aiden home he let Mila know he had plans for the evening so that she didn’t expect him for dinner. Even though she didn’t ask where he was going, she did insist that he allow Todd to drive him. She also handed him a phone since he hadn’t purchased one for himself. Peter pocketed the device and kissed her on the temple when he thanked her. Aiden asked if he was going with him to school the next day too. Peter said he wouldn’t miss it and told him he’d see him at breakfast. Mila shooed him away so that he could get his homework done and walked Peter to the door. 

Todd drove him to the diner but Peter told him he was fine on his own when Todd offered to accompany him inside. Todd nodded and went on his way. Peter took a look around the area. It wasn’t far from Wayne Tower but much like other parts of Gotham, the diner had seen better days. It seemed like a popular spot not only for the regular Joe but also for cops. He walked inside and right away saw Richard who waved him over to a booth in the back. 

“So, what’s this about?” Peter said and opened up a menu. It was when he saw the prices that Todd’s words finally made sense. Two dollar pancakes. Five dollar meals. There really wasn’t anything on the menu over eight bucks. 

Richard slid over a piece of paper. Peter looked at it curiously. It was an application for a patent. He picked it up and examined it. It was mostly filled out except for his personal information.

“Lucius Fox filed a provisional application on your behalf but there is only a twelve-month window before the nonprovisional application,” Richard pointed to the form in Peter’s hand, “needs to be filed and for the inventor to be named. You can talk with your attorney if you want to understand the process. Once you file, Bruce would appreciate it if you set up an appointment to meet with him.”

“You named the filter Vesta?” Peter said with a tilt of his head.

“Don’t look at me, I’m just the messenger.” Richard chuckled. “Though, I think it’s a Latin word for pure? Truthfully, I wasn’t paying attention.”

“Well, sure,” Peter said and shrugged. He put the paper aside. “Alright, now that that’s out of the way. What’s the real reason for this little meet-up?”

Richard sighed and ran a hand over his hair looking tired suddenly.

“I know you’re a cop,” Peter said and blew out a breath when Richard’s eyes widened a fraction. “Your family makes the news a lot. So don’t look so surprised. I also know you’re not a Gotham cop, so what gives?”

“I volunteered to be Bruce’s messenger when Tim told me he’d struck out with you before. Tim doesn’t know I had an ulterior motive,” Richard said and smiled sheepishly. “The police commissioner is a friend and he asked me to set this up so that it doesn’t look like you’re talking to the police. I normally don’t get involved with matters of the GCPD since, as you mentioned, I’m not sworn to serve here but in Blüdhaven. However…” Richard grabbed a file he had on the seat next to him and placed it on the table. He opened it to show Peter the picture sitting on top. 

“That’s Arman,” Peter said in shock and picked up the picture to get a better look at it. He’d been shot six times in the back.  _ That isn’t a random murder. It was personal. _

“He was killed in Blüdhaven.”

Peter frowned at Richard. “And what exactly does this have to do with me?”

A man cleared his throat and grabbed the seat next to Richard where he sat down. Peter frowned at him not having noticed his approach. It was the police commissioner. He was dressed down and wearing a ball cap but it was hard to hide that red mustache. “Nothing to do with you but a lot to do with your Aunt Mila.”

Peter started to laugh without humor. “You can’t be serious!”

“About what exactly?” said Commissioner Gordon. “Thinking a mob boss can put out a hit on a member that flew the coop while they were supposed to be guarding the son of said boss? You don’t think it’s a plausible explanation?”

“You don’t have anything connecting her to his murder otherwise you would have already arrested her. Instead, you came to me to convince me of what exactly? To be an informant? Isn’t your vigilante already on the case? What do you need me for?”

“Because you have eyes and ears where we don’t,” said Gordon. 

“Sure, that’s a good reason,” Peter scoffed.

“Arman was only the first,” Richard said and pulled another photo out of the file. “This one happened here in Gotham.” Peter didn’t recognize the guy but he was killed the same way Arman was. “We think whoever is doing this is targeting all of Mila’s former crew.”

“Mila was taken in for questioning by the FBI and suddenly she was a rat,” Peter said and tossed the photo back onto the table. Richard shared an uncomfortable look with Gordon. “How do you know that this isn’t anything similar?” Peter pointed at the pictures. Neither man answered. “Someone might have a score to settle with these guys or one of them and only kills the others so that you look at Mila instead of the real killer.”

“That’s a possibility,” Richard said with a slight frown. “How’d you come up with that?”

“I watch a lot of movies,” Peter said with a shrug.

The Commissioner looked at Richard and then after clearing his throat said to Peter, “Where were you two nights ago between midnight and two in the morning?”

“Mila isn’t the only one who has vigilante’s watching her every move,” Peter said easily though he with narrowed eyes at the accusation. He wasn't a murderer. And the company he kept didn’t automatically make him one either. “You want to know where I was or what I was doing, ask Robin. Or better yet, talk to Oracle. She likes to stick her nose where it doesn’t belong. She could be stalking me too. And I’m sure you’re  _ well-acquainted _ with her.” Peter stood up and made to leave but Richard held up the patent application for him to take. Peter took it and nodded at Richard. “This is real?”

Richard nodded and handed him a business card with Bruce Wayne’s information. Peter rubbed it between his fingers when he felt the thickness and realized there were two cards. The other was for Officer Richard Grayson of the BPD. “If you see or hear anything that can help us, I’d appreciate you reaching out. My personal number is on the back.”

“Yeah, sure,” Peter said and tucked the cards into his back pocket. “So much for a free meal.”

“Raincheck?” Richard said apologetically with a small smile.

“Depends on whether or not you plan to ruin my appetite a second time,” Peter said as he walked away, not giving Richard a chance to answer.

“Well, that went well,” said Gordon. 

“You jumped the gun,” Richard said a little peeved. 

“You looked like you were having trouble with him from the get-go. I thought it was best to get to the point.”

“I suppose. He’s a lot smarter than he lets on.”

“Why do you think he mentioned Oracle?” said the Commissioner as he scratched his chin. “I only deal with the Bat. Oracle is out of my reach. I doubt the mayor would be too happy if I had more than one signal on the roof of the GCPD. He’s already bent out of shape over the Bat.”

Peter didn’t wait around to hear Richard’s response. He’d heard enough. He crossed the street and walked at a brisk pace as he thought about what they had told him. He didn’t know if Mila had anything to do with the murders. He hoped she didn’t have anything to do with them. The only way to find out was to ask questions. And he also knew who to turn to for answers. He couldn’t go as himself. He needed Spider-man to come out to play. But first, he had to set up a meeting with Mila’s attorney Freddie Rios to ask him about the patent. He reached for his phone and smiled when he saw that Freddie was already in his contacts. 

Peter was placed on hold for a minute before Freddie was on the line and telling Peter it was fine if he came by whenever he had a chance. Peter took a cab to the man’s office. It wasn’t too far. The secretary walked him right over to Freddie’s office when he arrived. The man had been expecting him. Then he seemed surprised about the reason for his visit. He looked at the paperwork and nodded. He made a quick phone call to Lucius Fox and asked a few questions about when the provisional license was filed and under whose name. Once he was satisfied with Lucius’ answer he thanked the other man and hung up. He sat back in his chair and smiled at Peter. 

“I wasn’t aware Bruce Wayne was such a Samaritan,” Freddie said and laughed. Whatever the man thought was funny was lost to Peter. “Unless he doesn’t know what a great favor he’s done for you. The man is such a puts in person.”

“So this is all legit?” Peter said, still thinking it wasn’t real.

Freddie was right about one thing, having a patent for any product was valuable. Unless the filter Peter had made wasn’t valuable… Peter wasn’t sure. But Bruce was a charitable person. Peter had had first-hand knowledge of that. 

Freddie nodded in answer and proceeded to explain the benefits of having the patent in his name. 

According to Rios, all he had to do was sign and he’d take care of the rest. Peter did just that and didn’t give it another thought. 

Peter had more pressing matters to deal with. He’d rather know now before he got in too deep what Mila’s involvement, if any, was in the murders Officer Grayson had brought to his attention. Peter could care for her as long as the day was long but that didn’t mean he should turn the other cheek if she was giving out orders to kill. Peter wouldn’t be able to live with himself if she were doing that under his watch and he did nothing to stop her. 

Before he went home, Peter stopped by a hobby store to buy a few supplies he needed to make a suit. He had plenty of practice sewing his own suit and having to replace it every so often. It was why he preferred having separate pieces so that he could replace the parts that were damaged beyond repair. At the hobby store, he found a full-body suit. It would have to do for now. It was a dark blue. He bought some fabric paint to add the spider emblem and belt. He even planned to outline the eyes. He bought a few other things he’d need. Glue gun. Goggles. Some fabric to add lining. Elbow and knee pads. It would be a rudimentary suit but it was better than nothing. 

It took him a couple of hours before he decided it was done. It didn’t look too bad. He would have preferred his red and blue but this world didn’t know him. Not to mention, he was only planning to interrogate one or two people and snoop around for a bit. Well, until he was satisfied. He didn’t like not knowing whether or not Mila was arranging hits on her old crew. He also hated thinking that she was capable of it. But he couldn’t be naive. The woman was part of the mob. How close he’d become with her had no bearing with the truth. And if he found out she was behind those murders, he would turn her in himself. 

Dressed for his night out, Spider-man crawled out of his window and into the darkness. He quickly let out a strand of webbing and swung out of his neighborhood towards Mila’s house. He was careful to stay in the shadows. The last thing he wanted was to be caught on camera. He made his way into the house from a window in the hallway. He crawled through the ceiling until he found the person he was looking for. Sitting in Mila’s office was Cheshire. Spider-man lowered himself slowly and carefully until he was right in front of her. 

Cheshire flinched not having expected the company. “Spider? What are you doing here?” she hissed. 

Spider-man blinked. That was not the reception he was expecting. _How does she know who I am?_ He didn’t answer. He simply tilted his head to the side. 

“Did sensei send you?”

Spider-man shook his head. 

“Ra’s?”

He shook his head again. 

“My dad?!” she said a little louder and clearly upset but her voice still didn’t raise past a whisper. 

“No,” Spider-man said in a low timber. 

“Then what is it?” Cheshire said not having identified Peter’s voice. She let out an exasperated breath when he didn’t answer. “What do you want? If you can’t tell, I’m in the middle of a job. And you have exactly one minute to say what you want before I kick you out.”

“Curiosity.”

“About what?”

“Mila’s old crew.”

“You’re a weird one, Spider,” Cheshire said with a huff. “Are you that hard up for a job?”

Spider-man shrugged. 

“Well, I don’t know what to tell you. My boss doesn’t know who's doing the deed and I stopped taking those types of jobs so I'm no longer in the know.”

“You’re really out?” Spider-man said without thinking.  _ Woah. She’s  _ **_not_ ** _ a ninja assassin? _

“Yes,” Cheshire said in exasperation. "I said as much."

Spider-man nodded and crawled back up to the ceiling. 

“Wait. Is that it?” Cheshire said in annoyance. 

Spider-man waved at her and disappeared. He made it to the roof and sighed in relief.  _ At least I know it’s not Mila. But then who. It’s not like I know the players in Gotham. And now there’s the Spider to look into. She thought I was a mercenary. That’s definitely not a good thing. So many questions and no idea where to get answers.  _ Peter snapped his fingers.  _ There’s one more person I know I can go to for answers. _ With a thwip of his webs, he was off once more. 


	10. Oh look, chapter ten

Peter knew a thing or two about being framed. He was the poster boy for the word. Anyone who had a gripe about anything the first person they blamed was Spider-man. Jolly Jonah made certain of it. When he told Officer Grayson he came up with the idea that someone was framing Mila from a movie, he lied. It was from experience. The murders were too convenient. The victims were not only connected to her but had betrayed her. It was easy to believe they were killed in retaliation. But what was the real motive? Peter didn’t know. He’d never had a penchant for thinking like a villain. You wouldn’t find the phrase ‘What would Gobby do?’ in his repertoire of catchphrases. As a matter of fact, if he ever found himself thinking like the Goblin he’d turn himself into Ravencroft. 

Cheshire set his mind at ease. Peter figured if anyone knew what Mila was up to, her bodyguard was it. A bodyguard was like a housekeeper, they were privy to family secrets no one else had access to. Then again, for all he knew, she could have straight up lied to this Spider person that she thought he was. From what she said, Peter surmised that the Spider she knew was a gun for hire. He also inferred that they trained under the same sensei. That didn’t mean they were close. Only that they knew each other’s moves and were the most likely to be able to take the other out. Peter didn’t know any mercenaries that had friends or that befriended other mercenaries. They were all each other’s competition. But Chesire had been convincing. At the very least about Mila not ordering the hits but not necessarily about not knowing who was behind them. 

Peter knew when not to push especially in the case of mistaken identity. Which had been the case with him since he started to kick it with Mila. And of course, when he donned the spider suit. How was he to know that a spider entity was operating in this reality as a mercenary of all things? One thing he was certain of was that he needed to go back to his red and blue suit. But making a new suit would have to wait. He didn’t know whether or not it would be helpful to be mistaken for a bad guy with this next guy. But he had played the part of a blood-sucking spider to intimidate a criminal before. Intimidation he could do. Scare the pants off of someone? That could be funny depending on the situation. He would just have to play it by ear.

Peter arrived at a penthouse apartment and snuck in through the living room window. The entire place was dark. The occupants had already called it a night. Peter found Freddie asleep in bed next to his...boyfriend/spouse/life partner? He really didn’t want to do this but he didn’t have much choice. He carefully picked up the man and carried him to the kitchen. The man was a heavy sleeper. Didn’t even notice when Peter placed him in a chair and webbed him up. He webbed up the man’s mouth last before he splashed some water in his face. Freddie woke with a jerk and a muffled scream. His eyes darted every which way until they landed on Peter. Though to Freddy Rios, it was the Spider-merc who was standing before him. His eyes practically bugged out of his face. His heart raced and his breathing quickened. 

“Calm down. I’m not going to kill you,” Peter told him in a low voice. That seemed to send Freddie into a more frantic state. “Okay. Bad choice of words. But seriously, calm down. Your husband,” Peter had noticed the wedding band on the man’s left hand when he webbed him up, “is asleep in the other room. I wouldn’t want to wake him up just so that I have to web him up to a chair too. You don’t want me to do that, right?”

Freddie shook his head. 

“Good. I need to ask you a few questions and then I’ll go. I just need to take the webbing off your face but you have to promise not to scream. Because if you do, your husband will wake up, and well, neither of us wants that.”

Freddie looked over towards his bedroom but he couldn’t see his husband from where he sat. He was two rooms and a hallway over.

“He’s sleeping peacefully. You don’t need to worry about him. Now let’s get that webbing off your mouth,” Peter said and eyed the man carefully. “No screaming.”

Freddie nodded. Peter pulled the webbing away. Freddie swallowed but didn’t make a sound. Peter smiled under his mask. The man was still scared senseless but he was being brave. That was good. 

“First question, do you know who’s killing Mila’s former crew?”

Freddie frowned and shook his head. 

“You seem confused. Why?”

“Why do you care?” Freddie said and Peter crossed his arms over his chest. Freddie swallowed. “I mean, Black Spider is a known mercenary... and you’re not even from Gotham…” Freddie trailed off when Peter took a step closer. “I don’t know anything. I’m just an attorney. I wouldn’t know anything about that.”

“Really? You work for a woman who’s the head of a mob family—”

“Former,” Freddie interjected. When Peter tilted his head he cleared his throat. “Mila was never the head of the mob. Her ex was. She owns his former businesses but she isn’t taking part in anything illicit. Well, nothing that I’m aware of and that includes ordering hits. But even if she was, I wouldn’t know. All our business is in the up and up.”

“Is that so?”

Freddie nodded. “I wouldn’t be working for her if it wasn’t. Her name carries clout but that’s it. Most of her business partners aren’t even from Gotham.”

“What about her territory?”

“Ok. That’s...that’s true. She continues to have a hold on the territory that once belonged to her ex but she isn’t racketeering or selling drugs.”

Peter narrowed his eyes. He didn’t believe him. 

“I know it sounds unbelievable. But she doesn’t want to have anything to do with any of that.”

“How does she stay in control of her territory? That doesn’t make any sense.”

“The Red Hood...he, uh, he controls the drug trade and other illicit business dealings in her territory.”

“What?” Peter was really confused. The Red Hood was a vigilante that worked with Batman. Wasn’t he?

“But you didn’t hear that from me.”

Peter had a lot more questions that weren’t going to be answered by Freddie. But at the very least he was further convinced that Mila hadn’t killed those men. 

“Why does the GCPD think Mila is behind the murders? And why do they consider her a mob boss?”

Freddie opened his mouth then closed it. He did a few more times and then he shrugged. “She holds the title but she isn’t...she really isn’t. It’s not something you could just escape from. Once you’re part of the mob there’s only one way out. And since she took control…” Freddie groaned. “It’s complicated. But she’s not a murderer. If you ask me, it’s probably the cops that are behind the killings.”

“The cops?” Peter said with a scoff. 

“Like I said, you’re not from Gotham. The only people worse than the mob bosses around here besides the crazy costume freaks are the dirty cops. And in Gotham, they’re all dirty.”

That was not what Peter expected to hear but he knew there were always dirty cops. But that they were all dirty? Peter didn’t think that was true. He inwardly sighed. He had his work cut out for him. It wasn’t going to be easy getting answers in a city he didn’t know. Worst yet, from people who didn’t know him. But maybe he could ask the Red Hood a few questions. Uh, if he webbed him up first. Maybe.

“The webbing will dissolve on its own. Give it another thirty minutes and it’ll be loose enough for you to get out of it,” Peter said as he made his way towards the window he came in from. 

He heard Freddie whisper shout at him but Peter ignored him. He was two blocks over before his spider-sense flared. Peter jerked in surprise and dropped with a roll onto the nearest rooftop. He jumped up and bent his body awkwardly to avoid a bullet. But he didn’t move in time for the second that hit him on his ribs.

“Augh!” Peter staggered back with the impact. One hand covering the wound the other stretched out ready to fire a web at the...Red Hood? He realized then that he wasn’t bleeding. He was just sore where he’d taken the hit. What the hell? Was he bulletproof in this dimension?

“Black Spider,” Red Hood said while pointing two guns at him. He was crouched on top of a refrigeration unit. “Why are you in Gotham?”

“Uh, funny story,” Peter said and jumped back. A bullet ricocheted off the roof at the same time Peter had snagged one of Red Hood’s guns with his web. “Can you stop with the shooting? You can kill someone. I mean, not me, I’m bulletproof,” he showed him his dry hand as proof, “but, you know, other people.”

Red Hood snorted. 

“What? What’s so funny?”

“I’m using rubber bullets,” Red Hood told him with the tilt of his head.

“Oh,” Peter said and looked at the gun in his hand. He threw it back at the Red Hood who caught it easily. “Uh, so that was awkward.” Peter rubbed the back of his head. “Can you do me a favor and keep that on the down-low?”

“You know,” Red Hood said holstering his guns, “when I got word you were in town, I thought, no way that idiot would try to sneak into my city on my turf. But here you are.”

“Yeah, here I am. Except I’m not,” Peter told him and fidgeted awkwardly. Red Hood didn’t say anything. Peter sighed. “I’m not who you think I am.” Peter plucked at his suit. “It’s not even a black suit. It’s navy blue. But everyone keeps confusing me with this Black Spider person. My name is Spider-man.”

“Spider-man—?” 

Peter suddenly flipped in the air and landed in a crouch with his back to the Red Hood. A pair of bolas rolled to a stop at the edge of the roof where Peter had been standing before.

“Eric,” said a gruff voice.

“Uh, who the heck is Eric?” Peter said and stood up having recognized Batman’s voice.

“The Black Spider’s real name,” Red Hood said from behind him with an amused tone.   
  


“I warned you what I’d do if you came back to Gotham on Ra’s al Ghul’s orders,” Batman said, stepping out of the shadows.

“Ghoul? As in a ghost?” Peter said confusedly. “Your mercenaries work for ghosts?”

Red Hood chuckled and jumped down to stand next to Peter. “As in the Demon Head; the leader of the League of Assassins.”

“A demon ghost is in control of an entire league of assassins?” Peter looked at the Red Hood from the corner of his eye.

“He’s not a ghost,” Red Hood said with a shake of his head.

“Then why is he called Rassa Ghoul?”

“It’s Ra’s al Ghul. He’s ancient like his name,” Red Hood said with a shrug.

Batman had been listening to the entire conversation. He thought this man was Eric but unless Eric had amnesia…

“Who are you?” Batman said stepping closer to the two.

“Uh,” Peter said pointing at himself. When Batman didn’t make a move or say a word, he cleared his throat. “I’m Spider-man.”

“Why are you in Gotham?”

“Uh,” Peter looked at Red Hood. “Is he serious?” Red Hood cocked his head to the side as he looked at him. Peter wasn’t sure how he knew, but he was certain that the Hood was smiling underneath the helmet. Peter looked at Batman. “Uh, I live here?”

Batman narrowed his eyes.

“Oh, you meant in this suit, right?” Peter said nervously and rubbed the back of his neck. “I figured it would be the best way to look into something. But I didn’t know about the Black Spider. And actually, this suit is navy. So unless everyone in Gotham is color blind, it’s not really my fault there was a mistaken identity.” Peter looked from Red Hood to Batman who was still glaring at him. He was rambling, he knew. But he was nervous. And when he was nervous, he couldn’t shut up. “I mean, you’re the World’s Greatest Detective but I guess even you can’t catch everything that happens in Gotham,” Red Hood snorted. “Uh, so I figured I would give it a whirl and follow in your footsteps to help a friend?”

“You wouldn’t be the first to try,” Batman said in a monotone.

“Try and fail?” Red Hood said in annoyance. He crossed his arms over his chest as he stared at Batman. “Like everyone else except your precious golden boy, you mean?”

“Hood,” Batman said looking at the other man with downturned lips.

“Uh, this sounds sort of personal, so if you don’t mind,” Peter said as he took a step back but he yelped when Red Hood grabbed a hold of him and pulled him over his shoulder. 

“You already have a sidekick, Batman,” Red Hood said and ran to the ledge.

“Hey, I’m no one’s sidekick,” Peter said trying to get a better look at Red Hood’s face from the awkward angle he was forced in.

Peter heard Batman sigh but he made no move to stop them.

“Stay away from mine,” Red Hood said as he released a grappling hook and swung over to the next rooftop where he took off in a run.

“Seriously, I can swing on my own,” Peter said in annoyance.

Red Hood dropped him on a rooftop three blocks over.   
  


“Ow,” Peter said flatly as he looked at the Red Hood.

Red Hood crouched down in front of him. “What are you looking into?”

“About that,” Peter said with a smile as he leaned forward. “I have a few questions for you.”


	11. Oh look, chapter eleven

“So, basically, you’re a mob boss,” Peter said as he rubbed his chin.

“Well, sure, I suppose,” Red Hood said with a shrug.

“You suppose?” Peter said dubiously. 

“Yeah, you don’t have to get so uptight about it,” Hood said and turned away from Peter in annoyance. “It’s a means not my identity.”

“Said the mob boss through tight lips,” Peter said with a bit of amusement laced in his words. “I’m not judging. Just ...a bit confused? I mean, you wear that bat emblem on your chest. And yet, you’re part of the group that the bat fights? How does that work?”

The Red Hood turned to assess him with a hard look. Then he leaned against an AC unit and crossed his arms over his chest. 

“Catching crooks and sending them to jail doesn’t stop the drug trade or prostitution. In a city this big and corrupt it’s stupid to think that any interference by vigilantes will eradicate crime altogether. Sure, crime is down and there might be quiet nights but it never goes away completely. What I do, I do it to further protect anyone who has to resort to living a life of crime just to get some food on the table. Not all of us are born with silver spoons in our mouths or even a bronze one and life has a way to push those who are down even further. I would know,” Red Hood said and pointed to an area of Gotham where poverty and crime were higher. 

“I grew up there. Dad was locked up. Mom became a junkie. It was up to me, a ten-year-old kid, to pay the rent and make sure my mom didn’t die. I was half successful for a few years. Then I had to do what I could to avoid CPS, the dirty cops, the good cops, and provide for myself. The only person I failed to avoid was Batman.” Hood chuffed out a laugh. “I have a better perspective of what it takes to survive in this city than the others and I know what I can do to help. 

“So, yes, I’m a mob boss to protect the kids and their moms that no one else bothers to take a second look at. None of my dealers are allowed to sell to kids. None of my dealers _are_ kids. In my territory there are no pimps, all the girls work for themselves and have the added protection of the Red Hood from sadistic Johns and corrupt cops. Knowing my rules, Mila came to me when she inherited her ex-husband's territory and convinced me, without much effort, to control the less savory elements that she didn’t want to delve into. She did this because she was smart enough to know that she couldn’t leave it in the hands of insatiable assholes that have no idea what a moral compass is. My arrangement was between the two of us, her business partner, attorney, and her right-hand man, who I believe is now dead.

“Truthfully, I don’t care if you approve or not. The Commissioner and Batman are aware of my activities and they don’t interfere so long as I don’t kill the assholes who don’t follow my rules. Instead, I scare them straight and wrap them up for Batman to turn in with plenty of evidence to make sure they stay locked up.”

Peter listened carefully and even though he knew that he would never do what the Red Hood did, he knew that what he was doing was better than any mob boss he’d ever come across. He was also right about not being able to get rid of crime completely. Gotham wasn’t his city. He was just, hopefully, passing through so he wasn’t going to worry about what the Red Hood did or didn’t do. All he cared about at the moment was helping to stop whoever was killing the men that used to work for Mila and clear her as a suspect. 

“You basically told me the same thing Rios told me about Mila. So if you run those businesses for her, is it a stretch to believe that she wouldn’t be killing off whoever turned their backs to her?”

“Nope,” Hood said and shook his head. “Doesn’t mean she wouldn’t though.”

“Why do you say that?”

“For one, she is running other criminal enterprises. Things that could not only ruin her life but her son’s if her secrets got out. If anyone that was close to her starts talking, not only does she stand to lose everything she has but their lives as well.”

“Like what?”

The Red Hood laughed. “Her partner owns a real estate company that she uses to launder money for an underground gambling ring. I’m talking about illegal fighting, not just high-stakes poker. That and fixing certain events, even their own fights. 

“Mila is not only an art dealer, she owns auction houses internationally. If you think there isn’t any crime in art, you’d be mistaken. Paintings aren’t the only things that can be forged. Money, bonds, deeds, even corporate documents. She’s well known in certain circles for her expertise in identity theft.”

Peter’s blood ran cold. He thought it had been too easy for her to set up his identity as her nephew. _Am I an identity thief? Did it even count if the person whose identity I’m using is dead? Yes, yes it does! I’m a criminal! A thief! If Felicia could see me now. She’d never let me live this down._

“WITSEC has nothing on Mila,” Hood said. “What she knows…” he whistled. “It’s enough to get her killed ten times over. And if the people who were working for her start talking...”

Peter dropped his ass to the roof feeling completely done. He trusted her. If he had known...no. He probably wouldn’t have done anything differently. It didn’t matter that she was a criminal, she didn’t deserve to die. Neither did Aiden. But he had to separate his civilian life from her. He could continue to watch over her as Spider-man. But Peter couldn’t be her nephew. No matter how much he missed May, he should have never tried to replace her, not even temporarily. 

“Why do you look like I killed your puppy?”

“I thought she was...I don’t know,” Peter said and shrugged. He rubbed his head in frustration. “I wanted to help clear her as a suspect. Never even thought she could be involved. I had no idea she was a-a…”

“Criminal?” Hood said and eyed the Spider carefully. “How do you know her?”

“I don’t. Obviously,” Peter said and looked up at the Red Hood. “She helped me out once and I just assumed she was...good?”

“Are you a black and white person?” Hood asked but before the Spider could answer he spoke again. “Hate to break it to you, but no one is completely good or completely bad unless you’re Jesus or Satan. Everyone is either on one side of the greyscale spectrum or the other and where you land varies throughout your life.”

“Yeah, I know that up here,” Peter pointed to his head. “But it doesn’t mean I can’t think people have standards.”

“But they’re never the same as our own,” Red Hood told him holding his gaze. “So when you learn that they’re capable of doing things _you_ consider terrible it breaks your heart.”

“That sounds about right,” Peter said and shrugged. “Look, I can see your point, alright? That it isn’t fair to hold people to certain standards.” Peter stood up and wiped the dust off his ass. “Alright, so I need to either prove she’s innocent or guilty. I’m up for the challenge.”

“Where would you start?”

“I have no idea,” Peter said and sighed. “If I played a detective on TV what would I do? No! An investigative journalist. Hmm, the autopsy.” He snapped his fingers. “And police files.”

“No more interrogations?”

“Nah,” Peter said and walked to the edge of the building ready to shoot a web.

“Do you even know where the morgue is? Or which precinct has the files?”

Peter’s shoulders sagged. He shook his head. 

The Red Hood chuckled. “Come with me, greenhorn, I’ll let you play with the toys in my safe house.”

“I hope that was a non-sexual innuendo,” Peter said with a tilt of his head. 

“Everything I say is non-sexual,” Red Hood replied in a monotone. Then he wrapped an arm around Peter’s waist before he released his grappling hook. “Grab on!”

“Hey, I have my own webbing!” Peter said in annoyance. He was so tired of being manhandled. 

“For what? Sex play?” Red Hood said with an amused undertone. 

“That was definitely not non-sexual!”

“Tsk, tsk. Double negatives are a grammatical no-no.”

“Ugh! I’m done with this conversation.”

Red Hood started to laugh then he landed on the next roof. He allowed the Spider to follow him using his webbing while he continued to use his grapple. He had to hand it to the guy, he was good at swinging on those things.

As soon as they reached the safe house, Red Hood pulled up an extra chair next to his and started to search through the police database. His computer monitor wasn't as big as the one in the Batcave but it served its purpose. 

The more Peter learned through the research they had undergone in Red Hood’s safehouse, the further from finding out who the culprit was. Whoever was killing Mila’s former associates was covering his tracks with the precision of someone who knew what investigators would do to try to find clues to solve the crime.

“You know, Rios said something interesting to me when I talked to him,” Peter said while hanging upside down from the ceiling. Red Hood turned to look at him. “But then again, he also said he wasn’t involved with Mila’s criminal activities and you said he was one of the people that made the agreement with you to take over the drug trade and prostitution in Mila’s territory.”

“I never said Rios was involved,” Red Hood told him. “I said her attorney was. Rios isn’t Mila’s attorney. She only hires him when she’s trying to stay above board. Rios is on the straight and narrow or tries very hard to be. I mean, as much as an attorney can anyway. So what was it that he told you.”

“Well, he said that he believed that the people behind the murders were cops that were upset that they lost their take on whatever these men were getting paid while working for Mila,” Peter said. “Do you think he’s right?”

Red Hood didn’t answer, instead, he combed through the police files one more time and noticed something he’d overlooked before. The same patrolmen found every single one of the murder victims. Then the investigation was passed to the same detectives each time.

“Son of a bitch,” Red Hood said in frustration. It just had to be Mulcahey and her partner. Mulcahey was already on thin ice with the department since evidence seemed to be misplaced or gone missing altogether when her boyfriend and also CSI was a part of any case. And if Mulcahey was the lead investigator, he was her go-to CSI. He’d gone as far as tipping reporters on cases when the GCPD didn’t want to create panic. Problem was that there was no evidence of his involvement, only a hunch by his superiors and the other officers in the precinct. Hood had no idea how the man was still on the payroll. Too many assholes had gotten off without so much as a slap thanks to Corrigan's involvement. But he wasn’t known to commit the crimes. Hood was almost certain that Corrigan was on the take and had ways of getting more information than the others. The easiest way to figure out if the cops were involved was to get the information out of Corrigan. “Let’s go.”

“Where are we going?”

“I’m going to teach you how to successfully interrogate people,” Red Hood said and took the tarp off a motorcycle. 

“Hey, are we going to do the whole good cop bad cop routine? I’ve always wanted to do that!” Peter said getting excited.

“No,” Red Hood said and pointed at Spider-man. “You’ll stand back and learn while I do all the talking.”

“Well, that’s no fun,” Peter said with a huff.

“It’s not about fun,” Red Hood said and turned on the bike. “Are you coming or what?”

“I’m right behind you,” Peter said as he crawled across the wall and made his way out while Hood drove out. The door to his safehouse closed automatically. As Red Hood sped down Gotham, Peter swung from above using his webs. For the first time since he’d run into the Red Hood, he finally felt like himself. And he was having fun. 

_He floats through the air with the greatest of ease -_

_That daring young man in his webbed up jam-ees!_

_He flies through the air with the greatest of ease -_

_The daring young man on the flying webbings_


	12. Oh look, chapter twelve

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There was a slight edit to the previous chapter about Corrigan. He isn't a detective. He's a CSI. Mistake, fixed.

It wasn’t hard to find Corrigan. Jason made it a point to know things. Knowing where he could find any corrupt cop at any given time, well that wasn’t hard to find out. They were all predictable. Kept to the same daily routines, day in day out. Which made Jason’s work a little easier. He found Corrigan right where he expected, walking home from his girlfriend’s place. He never stayed the entire night. 

Jason signaled to Spider-man to stay out of sight as he parked his bike and got down. He walked with purposeful steps towards Corrigan. Once the man noticed him, he spooked and ran. Right into an alley. He only made it half-way down before he backtracked at the sight of Spider-man hanging upside down from a web blocking his exit.

Corrigan fell on his ass in his hurry to get away from the Black Spider. He scooted backward on his ass until he hit a wall. Or more precisely, Red Hood’s legs. Corrigan looked back and up and he swallowed.

“Hood, help me!” he said in an anxious cry. “That’s—That’s the Black Spider! He’s going to kill me!”

“And what makes you think that I won’t?” Red Hood said looking down at the man,

“Wh-what do you mean? You’re a Bat now! Bat’s don’t kill!” Corrigan said scooting away from the Red Hood and bumping into a dumpster.

“Oh, this,” Red Hood said, gesturing to the bat emblem on his chest. “You think this will stop me from killing you?” He pulled out the gun on his left holster. Corrigan swallowed hard and practically trembled in fear. “This one is the one with the real bullets. Of course, if you tell me what I want to know, I’ll put it away and send the Spider back where he came from.”

“Y-ye-yeah, whatever you want to know,” Corrigan said with a vigorous nod of his head.

“Mila’s men,” Red Hood said simply.

“Okay, okay,” Corrigan said and ran a hand over his hair and then grimaced when he realized how filthy his hand was. “There were-there were no bullets. I didn’t lie on the report. There was nothing. No slugs. The entire scene was clean.”

“Explain.”

“I heard-fuck, you can’t tell anyone you heard this from me—”

“Who would I tell?” Red Hood said tilting his head to the side. He kicked at Corrigan’s foot. “I don’t have all night. Tell me.”

“Alright, I, um, I overheard some of Penguin’s men talking. They didn’t know-didn’t know I could hear them. But they said-said that the Penguin ordered the hits. He even provided the weapon,” Corrigan ran his hands over his lap and wiped his sweaty brow with his forearm. “LexCorp made it for the Penguin using some of Freeze’s designs. It was an ice gun. It shoots ice bullets so that there isn’t any evidence left at the crime scene. They just melt. But that’s-that’s all I know.”

“Why is the Penguin targeting Mila’s former crew?”

Corrigan made a face and whimpered. “I don’t—”

Red Hood cocked the gun.

“Okay-okay, it’s because he wants to frame her for the murders. She’s been taking some business away from him. Exports or something. I don’t know all the details,” Corrigan said and looked at the Red Hood with pleading eyes. “Please don’t kill me! That’s all I know!”

Red Hood put his gun away and looked at Spider-man. “I guess that’s all he knows.”

“Sounds like it,” Spider-man said, sounding amused.

“It is!” Corrigan said. “Can I-can I go, please?”

Red Hood looked at the man and then he looked at Spider-man who shrugged before he said, “Not yet. I need more than just your word.”

“There is no evidence! None!”

“So you say,” Red Hood said and looked towards the end of the alleyway when he saw Spider-man flinch and look behind him. A working girl ran into the alley.

“Hood! Hood, you have to come with me right now!” 

“What is it?”

“One of the John’s messed up Luna real bad,” the girl said and started to run back out. “Hurry!”

“Spider, take this asshole to the GCPD rooftop. Do you know where it is?”

Spider-man flipped onto the alley and walked up to Corrigan. “Um, if you can direct me to the general vicinity, I’m sure I can find it.”

“North of here, eight blocks over. You can’t miss the floodlight on the roof. Turn it on. When someone comes to the roof, ask for Commissioner Gordon. Tell him Red Hood sent you and that Corrigan has information. Leave before they ask you any questions but stick around in the shadows to make sure Corrigan tells them what he told us. I’ll meet up with you tomorrow night,” Red Hood said and pointed in the general direction of his bike. “I have to—”

“Yeah, got it,” Spider-man said. He webbed up Corrigan and easily picked him. Corrigan was babbling nonsensical words and squirming. Peter looked up and shot off a web. When he looked back, Red Hood was gone. “Huh. Alrighty, let’s get you to Gordon.”

Peter pulled back on the web and easily flung himself up onto the rooftop where he took off in a run and then jumped. He shot off another web and easily swung towards the GCPD.

“Aaaahhhh!” Corrigan shouted.

“Exhilarating, isn’t it?!” Peter said excitedly. Corrigan’s response was another shout. “Uh, you’re not afraid of heights, are you?”

“Afraid of-are you crazy?! We’re going to die!!”

“It depends on who you ask. But, don’t worry. We’re not going to die,” Peter said dismissing Corrigan’s worries as they swung up and down between buildings. “I know what I’m doing.”

“Put me down! I don’t want to die!”

“Well, if I put you down  _ now _ , you  _ will _ die,” Peter said amusedly. “But, hey, look, there’s the rooftop we’re looking for! We’re here!”

Peter set Corrigan down next to the parapet. He walked around the floodlight until he found the switch and turned it on. “Oh, wow,” Peter said as he looked up at the clouds where the bat symbol was displayed. “I need one of these.”

He heard someone running up to the roof access and he flipped up higher to hide in the shadows. Two police officers burst out of the doors with their guns drawn. A red-headed female and a black male. They looked around nervously before they spotted Corrigan.

“Corrigan?!” the redhead said in confusion. “What are you doing here?”

Peter cleared his throat before Corrigan could answer. Both officers had walked up to Corrigan and they turned around quickly in the direction of the noise pointing their guns at nothing.

“Red Hood told me to bring him here,” Peter said without revealing himself. “But I need to talk to Commissioner Gordon.”

“Who are you?! Show yourself!” said the redhead officer.

“Not while you’re busy pointing your guns,” Peter said and crawled towards the other side right before one of the officers took a shot in his general direction. “Trigger happy cops.” Peter scoffed. “And you wonder why I don’t show myself.”

“Corrigan, who is it?” the male officer said as he flung around towards the voice.

“The Black Spider,” Corrigan said, squirming where he sat. “Get this stuff off of me!”

“I’m  _ not _ the Black Spider,” Peter corrected in annoyance. “And I need to speak to Commissioner Gordon.” He shot off a couple of webs and took the guns from the police officers. He threw them back onto the rooftop at their feet. The guns were covered in webs, rendered useless. He peeked out from the shadows. He raised his hands in surrender. “Pretty please. I’m unarmed.”

Just then two more officers came to the rooftop. A robust male and a brunette female.

“Chandler, Takahata, what are you two idiots doing?! Who are you shooting at?!” said the robust male officer.

“Corrigan!?” said the female officer who’d just come up to the rooftop. She spoke at the same time the other officer questioned the other two. “Of course, it’s you!”

“What the hell is that?!” the robust officer said pointing at the webbed up guns before the other officers had a chance to explain.

“Are either of you Commissioner Gordon?” Peter said from the top of a generator.

“Black Spider?!” said the brunette pointing her gun at him. 

“I’m not,” Peter said taking her gun with his webs and tossing it at her feet after he’d wrapped it, “the Black Spider. This uniform is  _ navy _ blue, for crying out loud! And I need to speak to Commissioner Gordon!”

“So you wrapped up Corrigan?” said the robust officer as he hid his gun behind his back before the Spider took it.

“Yes,” Peter said and huffed in annoyance. “Is someone getting the commissioner or do I need to start hollering?”

“Montoya, call the commissioner,” the robust officer said. Motoya nodded and headed back downstairs. “Takahata, turn off the light before bat-ears shows up. Chandler, pick up the guns.” 

They both did what they were asked and seemed a lot more relaxed now that the robust officer had moved to stand closer to the Spider, acting as their shield. Corrigan was mumbling to himself and hadn’t stopped squirming around. 

Chandler said, “Ew, this is disgusting,” as she handled the guns with the tips of her fingers. “Are they real webs?”

“Will that stuff come off easily or should we bill you for new ones?” the robust officer asked after he got a better look at the webbing.

“It’ll dissolve in an hour,” Peter said and pretended to inspect his fingernails. Which he actually couldn’t do since he was wearing gloves. 

“So, what’s Corrigan doing here all wrapped up like your next meal?” the robust officer said.

“Are you the commissioner?” Peter said with a tilt of his head as he looked the officer up and down.

“No.”

“Well, I’m not telling until he gets here,” Peter said and started to walk on the side of the building. Pacing back and forth easily.

“Chandler, Takahata get back down there,” the officer told the others while pointing at the staircase. “I’ll stay until the commissioner gets here.”

“Are you sure?” said Takahata.

“Of course, I’m sure,” he said in annoyance. “Make sure Montoya actually called the commissioner while you’re at it.”

“On it,” said Chandler.

“Who the hell are you?” the officer asked after taking a few steps back. He was standing closer to Corrigan.

“Spider-man,” Peter said and squatted on the wall, looking down at the other officer.

“New in town?”

“Not really.”

“Does Batman know about you?”

“Yeah, actually, met him earlier.”

“Great, another freak in costume,” he said with a scoff.

“Yeah, thanks.”

“That wasn’t a compliment.”

“And I wasn’t being sincere.”

They stared at each other for a moment before the robust officer turned to Corrigan.

“What the hell did you get up to this time?” he said in annoyance.

Corrigan didn’t answer. He tightened his lips and shook his head. He looked away from the other officer. 

“You’re not talking either?!”

“Not until the commissioner gets here,” Peter said in a sing-song voice. The other officer scoffed and kicked at Corrigan who grunted in annoyance.

Just then Peter heard someone coming up the staircase in a hurry.

“I hope that’s him.”

“Harvey,” said a redheaded older male in a gruff voice. He was wearing a long trench coat. “Why the hell did you drag me out of bed at two in the morning?”

“Two reasons.” Harvey pointed at Corrigan and then at Spider-man. 

“Corrigan?” the commissioner said, fixing his glasses before he looked at the other figure who waved at him while sitting on the wall. “Black Spider?!”

Peter sighed heavily. “The name is Spider-man. And before you ask,” Peter lifted up a hand to stop the commissioner from asking questions, “I was told to tell you that the Red Hood sent me. Corrigan has some information for you.”

“What type of information?” the commissioner said quickly. He looked from Corrigan to the Spider.

“Information he was apparently keeping to himself,” Peter said sounding disappointed. “Pertinent information about an ongoing case.”

“Which case?”

“The murders of Mila Peter’s former crew.”

“His word won’t be enough if he gives it while under duress,” the commissioner said standing up straighter and sounding as if Spider-man was wasting his time.

“His word won’t be enough, period,” Peter said and glared at Corrigan. “Not unless he tells you more than he told the Red Hood. Including the names of the people he overheard. And of course, if your detectives can find actual proof of what he said. You  _ will _ find that proof if he tells you everything he knows.”

Peter shot off a web and was gone before the commissioner could ask him anything else. He didn’t go very far. He simply swung to the shadows. He heard the commissioner sigh heavily.

“Harvey, bring Corrigan down to my office. Looks like we have to have a long chat.”

“Get up, Corrigan,” Harvey said in annoyance. “You better get your singing voice ready.”

“Shut it, Bullock,” Corrigan said in annoyance.

Harvey chuckled and then made a sound of disgust. “This stuff  _ is _ disgusting.”

“Yeah? Well, you’re not the one covered in it, are you?”

“Save your voice, idiot,” Harvey said, sounding amused. “Who knows how long you have to sing. Don’t want you to lose it before you cough everything up.”

Corrigan whimpered and Harvey started to laugh. It was an ugly laugh of someone who was happy about the pain of another. But Corrigan had it coming, so Peter didn’t feel too bad for the other man.

“That’s enough, Harvey,” the commissioner said, sounding tired. 

Peter crawled down the side of the building, sticking to the shadows. He was listening to them as they made their way downstairs and into the commissioner’s office. He stayed outside the window listening to everything Corrigan said. He told the commissioner everything he told the Red Hood. The commissioner wasn’t happy with what he was hearing. Peter had no idea who this Penguin was or Freeze, but the involvement of those two seemed to cause the commissioner a lot of grief. He asked Corrigan more pertinent questions. Names. Places. Times. And he ordered another round of forensics on the bodies. Lastly, Peter heard him call Batman.

Peter yawned heavily. He figured that he’d heard enough. He decided to leave before Batman showed up. Besides, there was a bed with his name on it not too far from where he was at. Or at least he didn’t think it was far. 

“I should have left a trail of breadcrumbs to find my way home,” Peter said before he pulled out his phone and opened the map app. He entered his address and smiled. “Technology. Gotta love it. Eat your heart out, Hansel and Gretel!”


	13. Oh look, chapter thirteen

Peter went straight to Mila's place first thing in the morning. He'd promised Aiden they would have breakfast together and then accompany him to school. But if Peter wanted to separate himself from Mila and her criminal activity, he wasn't going to be able to continue the charade of a happy family. Unfortunately, Peter had already bonded with them. Which was odd even for him. He'd always been a loner. He kept to himself more out of necessity. It was how he kept people safe. Because no matter how hard he tried to keep his powers hidden, the bad guys always found out who he was and they targeted his family and friends first just to get to him. Peter had lost too many people in his life. He wasn't looking forward to losing anyone else. He also had to keep in mind that he wasn't in this dimension permanently—he hoped wholeheartedly—so he shouldn't be laying down roots. He had to cut ties. The easiest way to go about this was to talk to Mila. He just wasn't looking forward to it.

It was still early when Peter arrived at the house. Mila had woken Aiden up for the day. Peter had time to talk to her. He walked up the stairs when he didn't see her in the kitchen and found her in her office. He heard voices right before he got to the door. Mila was talking to Cheshire. Peter acted as if he hadn't heard anything and knocked on the door, opening it as he did. The voices cut off abruptly and when Peter looked inside Cheshire was gone. The window leading to the balcony was open.

"Good morning," Peter said with a small smile.

"Peter," Mila said standing up and walking up to greet him. "You're early."

"Yeah," Peter said, lowering his voice a little. "I need to talk to you about something."

"Sit," Mila ordered, gesturing to a small couch in her office. "How can I be of help?"

"I don't need help," Peter said sitting down. Mila frowned a little but gestured for him to continue. "Um, yesterday, a police officer approached me."

"This is what you had to do yesterday," Mila said carefully. It was a statement, not a question.

"Well, no, there was something else," Peter said and rubbed the back of his neck. "The police… Mila, they think you killed Arman and—"

Mila clicked her teeth. "Of course, they do! But what about you? You think I killed him?"

"Mila, I don't mean to upset you but the fact of the matter is, I don't know you well enough to know one way or the other," Peter said truthfully. Even though just the day before he'd thought completely different. "I was upset at first. I thought their accusations were baseless—"

"Because they are!"

Peter held up a hand to stop her before she said anything else. Peter already knew she was innocent of this at least. She didn't need to justify herself to him. "I don't think you are behind Arman's murder. But from what they told me, it has come to my attention that I don't know you as well as I should. If you are involved in criminal activity—from the look on your face I would hazard a guess that you are—then I don't think it's a good idea for me to come around anymore." Peter watched her face fall and he felt sick in the pit of his stomach. He really didn't want to do this. "The thing is, in the short amount of time I've known you and Aiden, I already think of you as family. I would like to see him, on occasion. _If_ that's okay with you. But I don't want to give the impression to the police or anyone else that I'm part of your mob family." Peter scratched his head awkwardly. "I hope you can understand that."

Mila nodded slowly and then stood up slowly. "I understand. We can make arrangements for you to have playdates with Aiden," Mila said and walked to the door holding it open for Peter. "Please, stay for breakfast."

"Of course," Peter said and as he stepped over the threshold, Mila grabbed hold of his arm.

"Peter, thank you for coming to me with this," she pulled him in to kiss him on the cheek. "I'll be down in a minute. Do you think you can wake Aiden for me?"

"Sure, Mila," Peter said with a soft smile. "Thank you for understanding."

"If it would have been this easy for me when I was a child, I would have done what you did. Walked away from the family. This business, it's not for the soft-hearted," Mila said and shook her head. "I don't want this for Aiden. He will have a choice. Mark my words."

Mila shut the door to her office after that and Peter walked away feeling relieved. That had been easy. And he felt a sense of unease prickling at him. It had been too easy. A part of Peter knew he shouldn't trust Mila but another told him he could. He didn't understand. It was like he was warring with two parts of himself. He shook the thought away and went to Aiden's room to wake him.

Mila didn't act any different at breakfast. But before Peter left with Aiden to school, she pulled him off to the side.

"Don't worry about explaining this to Aiden, you leave that to me. Nothing has changed in my eyes. You are still my nephew. And Freddie will be at your disposal," Mila said and Peter opened his mouth to say something but she shook her head. "No, you told me your wishes. These are mine. You call me once a week for my peace of mind. Saturdays are for you to spend with Aiden. My driver will take him to your apartment. If you need to cancel, he will understand. Now go, Aiden waits for you and I won't have him be late for school."

Peter didn't get a chance to say anything before she quickly walked away. Just as he thought about going after her, he heard a car horn. Peter blew out a breath and walked out of the house. Aiden was already strapped in and Todd was looking at his wrist pointing out that they were cutting it close when Peter walked out.

"What happened, forgot your lunch money?" Todd said with a smirk.

"Something like that," Peter said solemnly and looked back to get a last look at the house. Mila was watching him from the window. He waved at her and she nodded looking as pained as he felt. Peter got into the car and forced himself to smile for Aiden's benefit.

When they got to the school, Aiden hurried to the playground and waved at Peter. He knew that Peter needed to go straight to the classroom. Peter on his part wasn't sure what he was going to do about volunteering at the school. He actually needed a real job. It was nice that he had an apartment but if he wasn't going to continue being a stand-in bodyguard for Mila and Aiden, he needed to pay the rent. He couldn't live off of Mila's money. He wasn't her nephew no matter how nice that sounded. And it did sound nice that she might have bonded with him just as he had with her, but it probably wasn't healthy for either of them. She was still grieving her lost nephew and Peter, well, aside from missing May was also missing his entire world. It hadn't been that much of a stretch for him to imprint on the first aunt-figure he met.

_She just had to be a mob boss. You really know how to pick them, Peter ol' boy._

Peter blew out a breath and walked into the classroom. Barbara Gordon was sitting behind her desk going over a planner.

"Oh good, you're here," she said and gestured for him to come closer. "I was going over the schedule but if you're going to be here for some of these activities, I need to take that into consideration."

"Actually," Peter said when she took a breath. "I think today might be my last day volunteering."

Barbara took off her glasses and looked at him with a slight frown. "Volunteering? I was told you were hired as a TA. I only agreed to take you on to help assess you during your probationary period."

"Wait, what?" Peter said confusedly. "You're saying I work here? As a TA?"

"Nothing gets by you, does it?" Barbara said with a smirk.

"No, there's gotta be some kind of confusion. The last time I was in a school, I sure wasn't a TA," Peter said with a scoff as if being a TA was beneath him.

"Oh, then what did you do?" Barbara said curiously. From what she knew, this guy had lost his memory. Helena was still upset that he was parading around as if he were her deceased cousin. But even she said it was hard to tell the two apart.

"I was a high school science teacher," Peter said then caught himself. He didn't know why it had been so important for him to declare that aloud. "I mean, no, that's not… I don't know why I said that. Um, let me go sort this out. I really thought I was here as a volunteer but if I actually work here, then I don't have to go look for another job. Excuse me."

Barbara stared after him as he walked out of her classroom with raised eyebrows. Had he just had a breakthrough? She would have to ask Helena if her cousin had ever been a science teacher. She smiled. She'd heard from Tim that Peter was smart. She just hadn't seen any evidence of that. One thing was certain, he was really good at teaching kids. Maybe he had been a teacher before.

When Peter walked out of the classroom, he had to take a breath. He had no idea what that outburst had been about but he had to get his head on straight. The bell would ring soon and he had to find out if what Barbara said was true. He went to the office to talk to the secretary who directed him to the administrative secretary. It took a few tries before Peter was able to explain his predicament properly to Mrs. Engel—a German woman who quite frankly scared him a little—before she told him that it was true that he was hired on as a teacher assistant. Then she told him that he was overqualified to be a TA. She had called around some of the schools in the area. She said there was a teacher position available at one of the public high schools but that it was in a bad neighborhood. She didn't think he would be interested but when Peter told her he was, she nodded and made a call.

Peter walked out of the office feeling better. He had an interview set up that same afternoon. He was looking forward to having a piece of his old life back. He just had to tell Barbara that he was leaving early and probably not coming back. It was for the best. Staying in touch with Mila and Aiden as a family friend was fine but being an integral part of their family went beyond what he knew was right. They were not his family.

Peter's family was back in his homeworld. One he hadn't even tried to find a way back to. But how could he? He didn't have the means to even begin any research. Collect data. Analyze the data. Come up with a theory. Prove the theory. Repeat the process until he was home. But he needed data. Which he didn't have. He was lost in a different dimension and he had to make the best of it until he came up with a way to get home. He let out a breath. He had a lot of brainstorming to do, but that would have to wait.

As soon as he walked into the classroom, Barbara already had something for him to do. Which was fine. That was what he was there for; work, work, work. But as soon as he had the chance, he told her he was leaving early and that if she had any questions she could ask Mrs. Engel. Barbara nodded neutrally and then handed him a folder of things she needed to be xeroxed before he left for the day. Peter grumbled but did as he was asked.

Before Aiden went to lunch, Peter told him he was leaving and that he would see him soon. Aiden didn't understand what Peter was saying, so he simply said he'd see him later. Peter was making his way down the hallway to leave when he stopped by Helena.

"What happened?" she said in a low voice.

"What do you mean?" Peter said with a tilt of his head.

"Mila called me this morning. She said you tried to cut ties with her—are you leaving?"

"Look, I don't know you very well and I understand that Mila is part of your family or something, but that doesn't mean I need to explain anything to you," Peter told her, feeling annoyed.

"Are you leaving Gotham?" she said with a frown looking disappointed for some reason.

"No," Peter said and shook his head. "Not yet, anyway."

"Not yet?"

"What is this about? First, you're upset I'm in Gotham now you're upset that I'm thinking of leaving," Peter said exasperated. "Women, none of you make any sense."

Helena let out a breath. "You know what, I don't even know why I'm talking to you."

"That makes two of us," Peter said with a roll of his eyes. "Now if you'll excuse me, you're going to make me late."

"For what? I doubt anyone is waiting for you."

"As a matter of fact, there is," Peter said haughtily. "I have an interview, thank you very much."

"An interview? You _work_ here," Helena said, raising her hands to the side to punctuate her statement.

"Yeah, well, I thought I was volunteering," Peter said and laughed in embarrassment. Helena rolled her eyes at him and shook her head. "I talked to Mrs. Engel earlier and she said I was overqualified to be working as a TA. She set me up with an interview at one of the high schools. So, I sort of need to leave now."

"Huh," Helena said in surprise and moved out of his way. "Well, see you later. I guess."

"Not if I can help it," Peter said jokingly and smirked as he tipped his head in a goodbye gesture. He saw her smile at him before he walked away.

 _'Always leave them smiling.'_ The words from his Uncle Ben came to his mind unbidden.


	14. Oh look, chapter fourteen

Peter was looking at his map app for the directions to the high school. As he stared at the directions he scratched his head in confusion. The school was located between uptown and midtown Gotham in a small stretch of land that had more buildings on each square block than the downtown area. Or at least that is how it appeared on the satellite view. He switched the view and the streets became visible. There was only one road that had access to the school by car that took a roundabout way through the area to get there. By foot, from the train, there appeared to be a maze of walkways that weren't exactly inspiring confidence that he wouldn't get lost.

"Chilli dogs!" Peter heard from the parking lot. He turned to look and saw Todd waving a paper bag.

"Get your chili dogs here!"

"Aw, man, I wish I could," Peter said slumping his shoulders. He was hungry, now that he thought about it. But he couldn't imagine heading into an interview with chili breath. That was bad form. "I have an interview to get to."

Todd walked up to him and tilted his head a little. "Interview?"

"Yeah, I'm actually heading there now but I'm not sure how to get there without getting lost," Peter said gesturing to the map app.

"Where is it?" Todd said taking his phone and looking over the address. "This is in the narrows. You've never been to the narrows, have you?"

"Uh, no?"

"It's a terrible neighborhood."

"So I've heard."

"What's the position for?"

"Teacher. At the high school."

Todd looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "Are you sure you want to work _there_?"

"Why not?" Peter said without understanding the implications.

"Get in the car and I'll tell you," Todd said and walked away without making sure that Peter was following, which he was.

As soon as Peter was buckled in the passenger seat, Todd made his way out of the parking lot.

"If you're hungry, eat. I have mints," Todd said and passed him the bag of chili dogs then a tin can of peppermint candy.

"I don't like peppermint," Peter said tossing it onto the backseat. Then he tore into the chili dogs. "These are good."

"I know," Todd said with a small smile.

"So, why does everyone keep trying to warn me about the... _narrows_?" Peter said between bites.

"Because it's the worst neighborhood in Gotham," Todd told him. "The cops don't even go there. The ones that do, only do so to take a bribe then they go on their way. If by chance cops that actually care show up, no one ever talks to them. The people who live there would rather turn to the mob for help."

"Do they help?"

"Surprisingly, yes. Sal Maroni settles disputes between business owners and personal vendettas. But if he has to get involved, it's only because it affects his business. The biggest problem is the small-time gangs in the area. They are responsible for most of the crime but not all of it. Don't get me wrong, there are a few good eggs but they are just as responsible for everything that goes on since they turn the other cheek when they see something happening. I don't blame them. If I would've grown up there, it would have been the only thing I could do to make it out of there alive."

"Alright, you painted quite the picture. But that doesn't mean that the kids who live there don't deserve to learn. If they need a teacher and I can fill the position, why shouldn't I?"

"It's your funeral, I suppose," Todd said with a shrug. "But don't say you weren't warned."

"Look, pal, I can take care of myself," Peter said a little more upset than the situation called for. He'd been on edge since he talked to Mila. He took a breath and rubbed a hand over his face. "Sorry."

"Don't apologize," Todd said with a grin. "You need to have a bit of bravado to at least survive the first day with those kids."

"You make it sound like you think all the kids who live there are hooligans," Peter said wiping his face with a napkin. He'd finished the chili dog and felt satisfied. Todd passed him a bottle of water. "Thank you."

"Sure," Todd said and made his way into a parking structure. "Alright. Get down."

"We're walking," Peter said feeling confused. He downed the rest of the water before tossing the bottle into the car.

"Yes," Todd said. "This car isn't mine. If it's stolen while I'm on the clock, I could get fired. We're taking the train over the river. The hoofing it to the school. It isn't far but if you don't pay attention to where you're heading you could easily get lost. I don't recommend taking the main roads either. The sidewalks aren't safe."

"What? That's the entire purpose of sidewalks, to keep pedestrians safe from traffic."

"Sure, everywhere else that's true. Not in the narrows," they went up the stairs to the train platform and waited only a couple of minutes before a train arrived. "Once we step out, you follow me and do what I say," Todd said and gave Peter a stern look. "Understand?"

"Yeah," Peter said with a nod. _Geez, this guy is not playing around. Maybe I should take what he's saying a bit more seriously. Then again, I probably would heed his warning if I wasn't Spider-man._

"This is it," Todd said and quickly stepped off the train. Peter kept in step with him. "You'll never go through here alone so don't bother trying to memorize the way. But if you decide to take the job after this little field trip, I suggest you buy yourself a clunker. It'll be cheaper than taking a cab. They'll charge an arm and a leg to get through this neighborhood. Come on, through here."

Peter did see it though, how narrow the streets were. The sidewalks only had room for one person to get by and anyone trying to pass someone up had to jump into the street to do so. It was the only option other than trying to climb the wall made up of buildings on the other side. Peter saw a close call right before he followed Todd through an alley. It was about three feet wide. They couldn't even walk side by side. It was cleaner than most alleys he'd been through but not by much. Instead of asphalt, the floor was cement. And everything that was in the alley was pushed up against the buildings. There were no dumpsters, only nets that held trash bags of different colors. White, black, and green ones that Peter supposed were for recycling. Peter stayed a step behind Todd. As they made their first turn, they heard the sounds of a struggle up ahead. Peter tried to see what was happening but Todd blocked his view and quietly said, "Keep your eyes forward. Don't stop."

Peter looked over from the corner of his eye and realized it was a junkie trying to get more for his money. It was the middle of the day. But from where they were standing, with the balconies of the apartments over their heads and the clothing lines that went across the alley, there was no sky and no way of telling what time of the day it was. At the next turn, the alley opened up. Though the area to walk stayed the same. A few businesses used the alley as storefronts. There were more people walking through to buy food or goods. It reminded Peter of a flea market because of all the colorful awnings. But this area was narrow and cramped.

They made a couple more turns, and Peter was officially disoriented. The alley had closed in even more. Or maybe it was Peter's imagination. Then he heard someone shouting in despair. He tried to push Todd aside. He needed to help. But Todd took hold of his forearm and forced him to face him.

"Keep walking. Slow and steady, I'll catch up to you in a minute," Todd told him.

"But I want to—"

"No," Todd said sternly and forced him to face forward giving him a slight shove to get him moving.

He walked a few steps forward and looked over his shoulder to see Todd lighting up a cigarette. _Of all the…_ Peter cut off his thoughts and did what he was asked. He passed right by a man being mugged at knifepoint. He could easily help him but Todd was behind him if he used his webs… _Todd will definitely see me. As Peter, I can't do anything to help._

Once he passed up the pair, Peter clearly heard the thug punch the other guy in the gut. He whimpered and fell with a cry. Peter tightened his fist. _I can't just stand by and not do anything!_

When Peter turned around, he saw Todd bump into the thug as he was walking away. They exchanged a few heated words before they each went their own way. Todd helped the man who'd been mugged up to his feet, handed him a wallet, and then told him to fuck off. The man scurried up some steps that Peter hadn't seen before. Then Todd walked up to him, stomping out his cigarette when he reached Peter.

"Happy now?" Todd said and nudged Peter to make him start walking.

"Yes," Peter said with a wide smile. "But now I'm going to have to check if I still have a wallet every time you come near me."

Todd huffed out a laugh. "Me pickpocketing you should be the least of your worries," he said before he tossed a knife into a gutter at the end of the alley. They were finally out of the maze of alleys and in front of them stood a senior center with decent sidewalks surrounded by greenery. The three buildings that were visible were short and Peter finally saw the sky. "On the other side of this is the school."

"Lead the way," Peter said cheerfully.

"Still not seeing the problem with working in this neighborhood?" Todd said eying him carefully.

"Not really," Peter said with a shrug. He waved at an elderly man taking a stroll with his pup. The man smiled and nodded before turning around and going in the opposite direction. Peter didn't take it personally. The old man didn't know him from eve and for all he knew they were there to cause trouble.

"Do you know how to fight?" Todd said suddenly.

"What like bullies?" Peters said ruefully and then rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "I can hold my own. Mila wouldn't have had me around if I couldn't."

"If you say so," Todd said in disbelief. He'd seen the footage, Peter hadn't done anything but distract the thugs while Mila took them out. During the zoo incident, he displayed good instincts but other than running away and depending on Todd for cover, he didn't do much then either. Todd didn't forget Peter had Aiden in his arms the entire time, but still, he didn't carry himself like someone who could hold his own. He seemed kind of wimpy. A perfect target for bullies. And he wanted to be a school teacher. He needed his own bodyguard if he wanted to survive Gotham, no to mention the narrows.

* * *

P.S. 31 McCormick was a three-story building. The stairs leading up to the entrance took you to the second floor right to the office. There were side entrances that allowed teachers and students in through a gated labyrinth that they only got past once they showed their ID to the security guard. The front entrance didn't have a sentry. But there were cameras directed to it. And it was framed by a walkthrough metal detector. A few clerks behind the desk kept a watchful eye and off to the side was a security guard sitting behind a computer desk.

Todd set off the alarm. The security guard walked up to him with sure quick steps. Todd moved his jacket to expose his gun and flashed some sort of ID. The security guard gestured for him to follow. They went behind his desk where Todd placed his firearm in a safe in the wall. They hadn't even exchanged words. Peter was telling the clerk about his interview when Todd went to stand beside him.

"Down the hall, first door to the right. He's expecting you," said the clerk gesturing down the hall.

"Thank you," Peter said, receiving a strange look from the clerk. Peter ignored it and went down the hall. He looked over at Todd and raised an eyebrow. "You're not planning on going into the interview with me are you?"

"Why not? Maybe I'll learn something," Todd said with a smirk.

"I appreciate what you're trying to do here, but I don't need a bodyguard," Peter said a little annoyed. "As a matter of fact, I'm sure I can get home fine from here. Besides, you need to get back to Aiden's school."

Todd made to look at his unexistent watch. "Look at that, I have time to spare."

Peter rolled his eyes. _There's no getting rid of this guy. Mila probably put him on my tail. She's probably worried I'll be targeted next. Though I think that's hardly likely. But he's right, he does still have time to get back to Aiden. With Helena and Barbara watching him, he's safe. Not that he or Mila were being targeted anymore._ _Which is a very good thing. Now get your head in the game Peter, time to woo Mr. Acosta._

"Oh dear god, you're _real_ ," said a man in his early thirties standing at the door leading to the Vice Principal's office.

_Ah, this must be Mr. Acosta_ , Peter thought.

"You're hired!" he said to Todd.

"Wait, what?" Peter said confusedly.

Todd snorted. "As flattered as I am, you have the wrong Peter," he said and gestured to Peter with a thumb. Mr. Acosta's face fell a little when he looked at Peter who was two inches shorter and probably thirty pounds lighter. "He's Richard Peter, your interviewee. I'm Peter Todd, the tag along."

"Oh, well," Mr. Acosta said looking a little forlorn before plastering another smile. "The fact that you even showed up, tells me a lot, Mr. Peter. You're hired. When would you like to begin?"

"What happened to the interview?" Peter said while he was shaking Mr. Acosta's hand.

"Firm handshake, that's good," Mr. Acosta said with a genuine smile ignoring the question. "Come inside. Sit down, I'll tell you a little about our school."

Peter looked at Todd who shrugged and they both followed the man into his office.

"Before I begin, I don't think I need to tell you about the neighborhood," Mr. Acosta gestured vaguely to his surroundings. "But it's due to it that we can't keep teachers for longer than a year. Most of the administration has to double as teachers if we want to keep the doors open. If you're willing to work here, that's all I need to hear."

"Well, yes, I am," Peter said with a nod.

"Great! Now, Mrs. Engel sent me your resume and I saw that you had a graduate degree in biophysics. All that means to me is that you're overqualified to teach here," Mr. Acosta said and leaned forward giving Peter a beseeching look. "I'm not going to beat around the bush, we're desperate for teachers and are willing to pay whatever you ask."

Peter chuckled and shook his head. _He's messing with me. This can't really be happening._

Mr. Acosta wrote a figure on a paper and passed it over to Peter. "That's to start. If you make it past the first three month's you'll get a raise."

Peter looked at the paper then at Mr. Acosta. Todd was looking over his shoulder and whistled. "That's not a normal teacher salary."

_In fact, it's more than double what I was making at the previous school I taught,_ Peter thought.

"No, but we receive generous donations," Mr. Acosta said and waved his hand like that wasn't here nor there.

"You actually had me at you're hired," Peter said folding the paper.

"Great!" Mr. Acosta said and clapped his hands once. "We're also looking for a PE teacher." He looked at Todd expectantly.

"With that salary?"

"Sure," Mr. Acosta said with a small smile.

"I can substitute for a while at the very least."

"Wonderful," Mr. Acosta said standing up. "Head over to HR, down the hall, and to the right. They'll set you up. How soon can you start?" He looked from one to the other.

"Tomorrow?" Peter said looking at Todd who shrugged.

"That's perfect!" Mr. Acosta said and stood up to usher them over to the door before either of them could change their mind.

As they walked over to HR Peter turned to look at Todd with a raised eyebrow.

"So, you're name is Peter, too, huh?"

Todd winked at him and Peter chuckled with a small shake of his head. _This guy._


End file.
